


Crossover: Loki's Secret

by IBegToDreamAndDiffer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Crossover, Dumbledore Bashing, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Harry is Loki's son, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Romance, Sexual Content, Tony and Loki being awesome parents, other tags to be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 00:54:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1408960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBegToDreamAndDiffer/pseuds/IBegToDreamAndDiffer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki's been acting weird, and Tony's worried. Finally, he sits the god down and learns his secret; learns what he's been keeping from everybody for the past thirty-something years.</p><p><b>Note (February 1st 2017):</b> This story is on hiatus pending a re-write. I can't promise a certain date, but please know that this story is on my mind and that I will be re-working the chapters that I already have posted. This story won't be deleted, it'll just take me a while to get back to it due to other stories and real life. Thank you for being patient, and I apologise for the continued wait - Dreamer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimers:** The world and characters of the Avengers belong to Marvel. The world and characters of Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the plot and make no money from this story.

  


 

Loki had been acting odd for the past few weeks, and it was beginning to worry Tony and the Avengers. But for very different reasons. Clint was sure that Loki was up to something dangerous and had taken to stalking the god, while Thor was so worried that he brought Loki poptarts every day as a “way to cheer you up, brother!”

Tony didn't want Loki to talk about it if he didn't want to, but still... he loved the god, despite Loki's faults, and he wanted to help. So Tony finally made up some hot chocolate (with Bruce's help, but Loki didn't need to know that), and hunted Loki down.

He eventually found the mage in the library a few doors down from their bedroom in the penthouse. Loki was on the sofa, feet hanging over one arm, head pillowed under his hands. There was a book on his stomach, but it was clear to Tony that it had been sitting there a while, unread.

'Hey,' Tony said. Loki didn't turn, but hummed to acknowledge Tony's presence. 'Hot chocolate?' Tony asked and brandished the large mug at Loki.

Loki chuckled and glanced up when Tony came into view. 'Why do you believe that chocolate fixes everything?'

'Uh... 'cause it does?' Tony huffed. 'Especially when mixed with alcohol.' Loki wrinkled his nose. 'Hey, don't hate my double-chocolate rum cake 'til you try it.'

' _Your_ double-chocolate rum cake?' Loki asked and sat up. He took the mug and eyed Tony as the genius sat down.

Tony licked his lips. 'Okay, so it's _Bruce's_ double-chocolate cake, but I mix the rum in when he isn't looking.' Loki chuckled and settled back, one leg tucked under his body. Tony made himself comfortable, leaning against the armrest behind him. 'So...'

'So?' Loki echoed.

'What's up with you?' Tony asked. When Loki sighed, Tony added, 'Don't give me that crap about nothing being wrong. I've caught you lost in thought at least seven times this past week alone. And Clint actually managed to sneak up on you with a super-soaker. So come on, Lo, what's up?'

'You wouldn't believe me if I told you,' Loki replied. 'Or perhaps you would,' he continued, head tilted, 'you seem to understand and believe me more than anyone I've ever met.'

'S'cause I'm awesome,' Tony joked. Loki chuckled. 'Come on, Lo,' Tony repeated. 'If you don't wanna tell me the details, that's fine. But I'm worried.'

'You really are,' Loki commented. He was wearing that soft, pained smile he usually did when he and Tony discussed serious matters; like he didn't believe that Tony really loved him, or that he deserved someone's love. They'd only been together a year, and Tony was still working to make Loki realise that he was worth it. Loki would never be a “good guy”, but he wasn't inherently evil, either; he deserved to be loved.

Tony sipped his hot chocolate, and waited.

Finally, Loki seemed to gather himself, and wrapped both hands firmly around the hot mug. 'You are aware that I've visited Midgard before, yes? Before Thor's banishment and the invasion, I mean.'

'You've mentioned it, yeah,' Tony nodded.

'I visited for quite a bit longer than I led you or my family to believe,' Loki continued. Tony knew that he was referring to Thor and Frigga; Loki still didn't, and would never, consider Odin his father, not any more. 'One time was a while ago,' Loki admitted. 'I was on Midgard for twenty-five years, pretending to be somebody else.'

'Who?' Tony asked.

'A boy, nobody terribly important,' Loki sighed. Tony got the feeling that there was more to this story. 'I needed to get away from Asgard for a while,' Loki explained, 'and I found that Midgard had its very own magical community when I travelled down here.'

'Wait, what?' Tony interrupted. 'We have magic?'

'Yes,' Loki confirmed. 'There is a whole hidden world of people who refer to themselves as witches and wizards. Normal people aren't able to detect them. They have whole governments committed to keeping their world a secret.'

Tony gaped a bit. Okay... magic. Right, of course; why the fuck not?

'I joined them,' Loki said when Tony failed to speak. 'As a boy, a magical boy.'

'A boy?' Tony echoed.

'Yes,' Loki repeated. 'There was an older couple, very well-known in the magic world, who were unable to have children. I stumbled across them when I was exploring the new world I had discovered. I changed my appearance and made them believe that I was their son.'

Tony gaped a bit more.

'I just wanted to belong somewhere,' Loki admitted, his voice soft, now. 'Somewhere where the locals didn't sneer at me because of who I was or what I was capable of doing. To finally be in a place where I wasn't compared to Thor. And I made that couple happy until they passed; they believed that they had finally sired a son, when they were unable to do so.'

'Right...' Tony blinked a bit.

'I fell into my alias a bit too thoroughly, though,' Loki continued. 'I was sent to a magical school, where I finally got friends. I eventually fell for someone who loved me, the other me. I was _happy_.'

Tony frowned as Loki's voice cracked on the last word. Oh, no... 'Something happened,' Tony guessed, and Loki nodded, eyes on his mug.

'We had a son,' he said, and Tony nearly fell off the sofa. 'The woman that I had fallen in love with, she fell pregnant,' Loki told Tony. 'He was beautiful, Anthony; a head of dark hair to match mine, bright eyes that matched mine and hers. He was... just perfect.'

'What happened?' Tony asked, his voice soft.

Loki closed his eyes, and his fingers tightened around his mug.

'I had to leave for Asgard,' he said after a few moments. 'Heimdall eventually found me, when my son was one. Odin sent warriors who dragged me home. I had to go, they threatened my wife and son. I left a clone so as not to alert anyone to my departure. By the time I returned, she... they...'

'Loki?'

Loki finally cracked, tears spilling down his face. 'She was murdered,' Loki choked out. 'My son somehow survived the curse of a dark wizard and was taken to live with my wife's relatives. I didn't know where he was, I couldn't find him by the time I returned. His mother was dead and I could do nothing!'

Tony put his mug on the floor and reached out to do the same with Loki's. When he was done he pulled Loki into his arms, and patted his back as the god openly wept. It wasn't a side of Loki that he saw often, and when he did Tony wished that there was a way to take away Loki's pain. But all he could do was be there for Loki, comfort him, and help him put the pieces back together.

The genius had no idea how much time passed before Loki sniffed and pulled himself back together. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, his cheeks red and stained with tears. Tony wiped them away as best he could and pecked Loki on the mouth. 'I'm so sorry,' he said. He couldn't imagine what it was like to lose a partner, and a son, and not be able to do anything about it.

Loki sniffed again. 'My apologies,' he whispered, 'I didn't mean to lose control like that.'

'Jesus, Lokes, it's fine,' Tony said. 'After what you just told me? Cry all you freakin' want.'

Loki smiled a bit, but his face was still distraught.

Tony chewed on his bottom lip, already thinking. 'You said that your son survived?' he asked. Loki nodded. 'How old would he be now?'

'Almost twelve,' Loki admitted. 'He was born July 31st 2000.'

'That's good,' Tony said.

'Why?' Loki questioned.

'Well...' Tony hesitated before storming ahead, 'we could- if you want, _only_ if you want- find him?'

Loki blinked. 'Excuse me?'

'We could find him,' Tony said. 'He's living with relatives, right?' Loki nodded. 'I could have JARVIS search for him. I'd sure as hell want to know that my dad's really alive.'

'I left him, Tony,' Loki said. 'I left him and his mother to die.'

'You didn't mean to,' Tony argued. 'Explain it to him. Kids are smart, adults don't give them enough credit. I bet you anything he'll forgive you and want to get to know you.'

'Tony-'

'Just let me find him, okay?' Tony interrupted. 'At least let me find some pictures. I bet he plays little league or something. You could see how he's grown up.'

Loki sighed and scrubbed his face. 'He most likely lives in England,' he admitted.

'Cool,' Tony grinned. 'So your accents will match.'

Loki snorted. 'I'm not sure this is a good idea, Anthony.'

'You don't have to contact him if you don't want,' Tony promised. 'Let's just see some pictures, okay? Besides, he's practically my step-son.'

Loki raised an eyebrow, a hint of his normal self returning to his eyes. 'And you believe that I would agree to marry you?'

'Yeah,' Tony grinned, ''cause I'm awesome.'

Loki chuckled and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Tony's. 'Thank you,' he murmured.

'No worries,' Tony said. 'So, uh... give us a name, yeah? JARVIS will get started.'

Loki smiled softly against Tony. 'Harry,' he said. 'Harry James Potter.'


	2. Chapter 2

'Okay, J, you know what to do!' Tony called as the workshop doors slid closed behind him. Loki was napping- he'd been exhausted after his and Tony's talk- and the rest of the Avengers were out doing... whatever it was they did when not fighting maniacs.

' _Yes, sir,_ ' JARVIS replied. ' _Shall I keep my search to England?_ '

'Yeah,' Tony nodded. 'Loki said that Lily Potter's relatives lived in England, he doesn't know where exactly.'

' _Shall I search for them, too?_ ' JARVIS questioned.

'Yep,' Tony decided.

' _Searching now, sir_ ,' JARVIS responded.

Tony left him to it and decided to get back working on his latest Iron Man suit. He was always looking for a way to upgrade it, and was sure that the Mark XII was his very best yet. He was hoping that Loki would come down and continue helping Tony research magic. Tony could track magic, now, but his suits still weren't resistant. He _really_ wanted them to be, because there were too many a-holes who could use magic attacking lately.

Tony fell into his work so quickly and thoroughly that he didn't hear the pings that meant JARVIS had found something. It wasn't until a good four or so hours later that JARVIS got his attention.

'Wha?' he mumbled, looking up and squinting. Staring at delicate wires for three hours tended to ruin your eyesight.

' _I found dozens of Harry James Potters living in England, Wales, and Ireland, sir_ ,' JARVIS informed him. ' _I narrowed my search down to males born on July 31st 2000 and got only one hit_.'

Tony perked up at that and tossed his tools aside. He stepped across to the closest screen and pulled it back, widening the information that JARVIS had discovered.

'Give me an overview, J,' Tony ordered as he sorted through the information.

' _There is record of a Harry James Potter, born July 31st 2000, living at number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey._ '

'Location?' Tony questioned.

' _South London, England, sir,_ ' JARVIS replied.

'Keep going.'

' _The home is owned by Vernon Dursley. He is married to Petunia Dursley and has one son, Dudley Dursley, born June 23rd 2000._ '

Tony frowned as he looked over the information JARVIS had pulled up. Both Harry and Dudley had been enrolled at the same elementary school- primary school, the English called it- but other than his name appearing on class lists, there was nothing else. Harry had never joined any of the cricket or rugby teams, and none of the clubs, either. Tony had thought that, as Loki's son, Harry would be just as thirsty for knowledge.

The more Tony dug, the more his stomach dropped. There were small things- tidbits of information- that alone meant nothing, but together formed a very gruesome picture.

Harry had been sent to the nurse's office more than any other student. It had been noted that he was underweight, too short for his age, his glasses were constantly broken and he was too quiet. He excelled in class work, but every test and exam he near failed. Notes had been written home, all ignored, and phone calls that had been noted in Harry's permanent file stated that Harry was a troubled, foul-mouthed child with serious issues that steamed from his parents.

Tony swallowed thickly as he read over a dozen reports filed by Arabella Figg, a woman who lived on Privet Drive. She insisted to anyone who listened- the local hospital, the police, even the goddamn fire station- that Harry wasn't safe where he was. That whenever she watched the boy, he had fresh bruises or scars; that he practically inhaled whatever she fed him, and begged her not to tell his family that he'd eaten.

But every time someone actually investigated, something happened; either Vernon Dursley wiggled his way out of trouble, or someone else contacted the people investigating and said it was okay; it had been dealt with. And no matter how deep Tony and JARVIS dug, they couldn't find the person keeping Harry with his abusive relatives.

Finally, after a few hours, Tony found a picture. It was a school photo that had been uploaded last year, farewelling the graduating students of 2011. Tony scanned the names and found it, then had JARVIS enlarge the picture. Grabbing it by the edges, Tony tossed it aside, and it blew up, now occupying almost an entire wall.

There, on the far end, was Harry James Potter; Loki's son.

He was a tiny thing, too small for being almost eleven-years-old. His hair was a dark mess, his eyes a bright, fragile green behind round, broken glasses. His green uniform was too big and faded, held together by thread that Tony could _see_ on the photo. The boy was holding his right arm close to his side, and not smiling; just staring at the camera, eyes slightly empty.

Tony fell back into his seat and rubbed his face. _Fuck_. Not only was this kid- this innocent fucking kid- being abused, but it was _Loki's_ kid. Loki's son, being beaten and starved and God knows what else. When Loki found it, he'd wipe Surrey off the map. He'd tear the Dursleys limb from limb for even _daring_ to hurt his son.

'Fuck,' Tony groaned.

' _Sir?_ ' JARVIS responded.

'Call Loki, J,' Tony said. 'He needs to see this.'

' _Yes, sir_.' While JARVIS did that, Tony organised everything so that Loki could read over it. He blocked the Dursleys' home address, though. He had to at least try and talk Loki out of murder.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki was transfixed, eyes not leaving the one photo that Tony had managed to find of his son. He just kept staring, completely mesmerised. Tony could see the love Loki already felt; love that had first arrived just over eleven years ago, but had been pushed aside when Loki had been dragged back to Asgard, his wife dead and son missing.

He reached out to touch, but his fingers went through the projection, and Loki scowled.

'I can print it out if you want,' Tony offered.

'No,' Loki said. 'When we retrieve Harry, I'll take enough pictures to fill this entire tower.'

Tony smiled. People said that Loki didn't love, but they were wrong; he loved too much.

'Can I do that?' Loki continued, finally tearing his eyes away from the projection. 'Can I take him with me?'

'Well... you should be able to,' Tony nodded. 'I mean, he's your kid, and as his dad you get custody over his uncle and aunt. A DNA test should prove that you're his father.'

'My DNA will read the same whatever form I'm in,' Loki murmured. His eyes were on Harry once more. 'It's just other things that change.'

'Okay,' Tony nodded.

'Where is he?' Loki demanded, apparently done waiting. He wanted to do this _now_.

Tony didn't blame him. The sooner they got Harry out of the Dursleys' house, the better.

'I'll call my lawyers, they'll get the paperwork started,' Tony said. 'But I'm wondering... will the, ah, _magical community_ , get involved?'

'Most likely,' Loki mused. 'The Ministry is supposed to keep tabs on magical children being raised in Muggle households.'

Tony clenched his fists at that. So this _Ministry_ had just _left_ Harry there, to be abused for ten years by his so called relatives. _Fuck._

'Listen, Lo,' Tony began, drawing his partner's attention, 'there's something we need to discuss before we go get Harry.'

Loki blinked. 'What?' When Tony hesitated, Loki frowned and stepped closer. 'Anthony...'

'I found out some stuff about Harry's... home life,' Tony admitted.

Loki froze, his face going completely blank. And then, like a tide coming in, _anger_ filled his eyes. 'What... _stuff_?' he demanded.

'He, ah...' Tony sighed and scrubbed at his face, 'Lo, I think they've been abusing him.'

Loki's eyes narrowed to slits. 'Abusing him...' he echoed.

'Like, physical abuse, emotional abuse,' Tony rattled off quickly. Maybe if he overwhelmed Loki, the god wouldn't go all super villain on the Dursleys. But Tony kind of wanted to do it himself, so he wasn't hopeful. 'It looks like they barely feed him, they call him names, and they never buy him anything; there are notes in his school file about his uniform, glasses and clothing. They look like hand-me-downs. Nobody's ever seen him with clothes that fit.

'And...' Tony gulped. Loki's eyes had darkened further, hands clenched, shoulders twitching. 'One of the neighbours, Arabella Figg, kept reporting the Dursleys, Harry's relatives. For the past eight or so years she's been telling the police and doctors and... well, _everybody_ , that Harry isn't safe. But his relatives keep getting away with it. They either lie their way out of trouble or someone covers it up for them.'

'Who?' Loki demanded, voice quiet and deadly. 'Who has been... _covering this up?_ Who left my son with people who _hurt him_?!'

'I don't know!' Tony said. 'Honestly, Lo, I looked. But I think it's someone with a lot of power, or someone magic. Because JARVIS can't find anything.'

Loki stormed across the workshop and got into Tony's personal space, but Tony didn't flinch or back down. No matter how angry Loki was, Tony knew that he wouldn't hurt him. Loki loved him too much.

'Take me to them!' Loki demanded.

'You need to calm down first,' Tony replied.

'Calm down?' Loki demanded. 'My wife was _murdered_ and my son _taken_ from me. I thought he would be better off without me, away from Asgard and the anger and fear that follows me wherever I go. But even Odin would not torture a child, not a mortal. He would have at least given Harry a place to live and grow up before he began using him. But these... these _humans_ , these _filth_!' Loki spat. 'They have had my son for almost eleven years and have been torturing him!'

'I know,' Tony said. 'And believe me, Lo, I wanna kill them, too. I had a shitty childhood, but my dad always gave me enough food, and my own clothes and toys.  _ Nobody  _ deserves to grow up like Harry has.

'But you can't just murder people,' Tony added. 'SHIELD will haul you in and Thor will cart your ass back to Asgard. And that's not what Harry needs,' Tony said firmly. 'He needs a father who loves and accepts him, who can help him deal with all this. If you murder them he might never forgive you.'

Loki snarled and lashed out, swiping at the table beside Tony. Tony didn't flinch, just watched as Loki began destroying whatever he could touch. He left DUM-E, U, and Tony's suits alone, as well as his really important things. But the coffee maker was thrown across the room, the counter it was attached to following. Concrete exploded as Loki threw magic at the wall, and the mini-fridge exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces as Loki slammed it into the wall.

Loki screamed and threw magic and destroyed whatever he touched, and Tony didn't interfere until he heard a sob; until Loki suddenly collapsed, shoulders hunched, fingers curled tightly in his hair.

Tony crossed to the Trickster and knelt beside him. He wrapped one arm firmly around Loki's waist and tugged him in. Loki shook violently, and sobbed, but no tears escaped.

'It's not your fault, Loki,' Tony said.

'I left him,' Loki choked out, voice hoarse.

'You didn't send him to those people,' Tony said, 'you had no way of knowing.'

'I should have looked for him,' Loki insisted. 'I could have found him.'

'Maybe,' Tony shrugged, 'but what's done is down. Calm down and we'll go get your son.'

Loki nodded but didn't move, so Tony stayed where he was. He ordered JARVIS to call his lawyers and relay everything that happened; they'd know what to do, even though Loki technically wasn't a citizen of... anywhere on Earth. But they'd do absolutely everything in their power to get Loki his son.

And Tony would do everything in his power to make the Dursleys pay. He might not murder them outright, but he'd  _ destroy  _ them. Nobody got away with hurting a kid, especially not his lover's son. Hell, the boy might as well be Tony's, too.

Tony pressed a kiss to Loki's head, and Loki shook, face hidden in Tony's neck.

The Dursleys would pay for harming Tony's family. Nobody messed with Tony Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** I find it funny that over 40 people subscribed to this on FF.Net when I made no promises to continue. But as my good friend **GreenLoki** pointed out, my muse has no idea what a one-shot actually is, so why do I bother calling them that?
> 
> Be that as it may, please don't expect regular updates. I will try to update as frequently as possible, but I literally have about 14 WIPs going that I have to write first. So those come first, but when I get inspired I'll write this story and post the update.
> 
> Thank you for all your comments and kudos, I appreciate them!
> 
> {Dreamer}


	3. Chapter 3

Tony had no idea how long they sat there amongst the mess that had once been his lab. Eventually JARVIS interrupted Loki's quiet sobs to inform Tony that his lawyers were on the case. They were pulling up every record they had of Harry- of Loki and Tony, too- and had ensured JARVIS that if they couldn't give Loki custody, they'd give it to Tony.

Tony wasn't sure how that'd work, but he didn't care. If he couldn't do this legally he'd do it  _ illegally _ . Not even SHIELD could stop him from taking Harry away from those monsters. But Tony had a feeling that Fury would be on his side. He and the director never really saw eye to eye, but even he wouldn't leave a kid to be abused day and night by the people who were supposed to love him.

'J, inform Fury of the situation,' Tony decided. The more the director knew, the more SHIELD could actually  _ help _ . They owed Tony, and they owed Loki and Thor, too. Tony didn't doubt that once Thor found out he'd be delighted at being an uncle... and would probably help Loki wipe London off the map. Thank God for Jane Foster, Tony thought. She was a small woman, but she had the ability to reduce Thor to a chastised puppy.

He lost a good minute imagining Jane hitting Thor over the nose with a rolled-up newspaper, and was brought from his daydream by Loki standing. Tony didn't move; just sat on his aching knees, staring as Loki smoothed his shirt down.

'How are we getting to London?' Loki asked, his voice soft.

'We'll take my jet,' Tony said. 'I'd have you teleport us, but it might be best to go human style... for Harry.' Loki just nodded. 'We can get some shopping done, too,' Tony added. 'Harry probably doesn't have a lot.'

Loki's fingers curled into fists, hands shaking, but after a few seconds he took a deep breath and nodded. 'I shall go change,' he murmured, and then left, easily stepping over the rubble that he'd made during his rage.

Tony just nodded and watched him go before standing himself. His legs didn't thank him for kneeling for so long, and he groaned as he stretched.

' _ Sir, I took the liberty of calling your private pilot. Your jet will be ready within two hours _ .'

Tony cracked a small, tired small. 'Thanks, JARVIS,' he said. 'Hey, can you get us a two-bedroom hotel room somewhere in London? And clear my schedule for the next two weeks. Also, call Pepper and tell her what's happening,' Tony added as an after thought. Pepper would be pissed that he was throwing work aside, but after she heard what happened... well, she'd most likely join Loki and Thor in taking down a few assholes. Pepper was good like that.

' _ Yes, sir _ ,' JARVIS replied.

Tony wondered if he should tell the Avengers what was going on, and after some deliberation decided to call Bruce. Tony had bought the doctor a small apartment in Manhattan; Bruce liked to be on his own sometimes, though he split his time equally between SHIELD, Stark Tower, and his apartment. Tony knew that Steve visited often, and Coulson and Clint did, too. Tony had gotten more than one call from Bruce saying that Clint had broken  _ something  _ in his apartment while trying to climb it. Hawkeye really was a great call-sign for the archer.

'JARVIS, call Bruce,' Tony said and grabbed the closest StarkPhone from one of the still-standing tables. The call went through, and Tony leaned against the table.

' _ Tony? _ ' Bruce yawned; clearly Tony had woken him. Shit, what time was it?

'Hey, Brucie,' Tony replied. 'Listen, I don't have much time. I'm heading to London in a few hours.'

' _ … London? _ ' Bruce queried before groaning. ' _ Tony, what did you do now? _ '

'Not me,' Tony huffed, 'but it has to do with Loki.'

Bruce sighed. ' _ What happened? _ '

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Nine hours later, Tony and Loki were stepping off Tony's private jet at Heathrow Airport. With the time difference between New York and London, they ended up arriving in the early evening. After going through all the usual airport jazz, they headed for the car Tony had hired, JARVIS informing them that it was just past six. He slid into the driver's seat, while Loki took the passenger side, one of the stewards putting their luggage into Tony's car.

Tony programmed the Dursleys' address into the GPS on his phone, and JARVIS helpfully got them out of the airport and into traffic.

'Crap, I hate driving in England,' Tony groaned.

'Do it often?' Loki asked in faint amusement. The plane ride had given Loki enough time to calm down, though Tony could still read the tension in the set of his jaw, the hardness of his eyes.

'Sometimes,' Tony shrugged, deciding to try and keep the mood somewhat light. 'Pepper usually hires me a driver 'cause I suck at driving on the left side of the road. Who the hell decided that, anyway?'

'A lot of countries drive on the left,' Loki informed him.

'Whatever,' Tony waved a dismissive hand. 'According to JARVIS it'll take us just over half-an-hour to get to Surrey. Why don't you try and catch a nap?'

'I couldn't sleep if I tried,' Loki sighed, even as he leaned back, trying to stretch his long legs. He stared out the windscreen, at the darkening sky and the traffic surrounding them. 'Every time I close my eyes I see the look on Harry's face.'

'Yeah,' Tony murmured. He didn't think that he'd ever forget it, either. The _emptiness_ that had been in Harry's eyes in that photo... it reminded Tony of when Loki had returned to Earth after his imprisonment on Asgard; the belief that he'd never recover, never find a home, never do anything other than be the villain; the person pushed aside for others who were better.

It had made Tony sick then, and it made him sick now. Nobody deserved to feel like they were nothing. Howard had made Tony feel like that, and Odin had made Loki feel like that. Now, the Dursleys had done the same thing to Harry, only it was worse. At least Howard had never hit Tony; Odin had always kept Loki well-fed. Harry had had it a lot worse.

Tony's fingers tightened around the steering wheel, but he took a few calming breaths to lower his heart-rate. It would take all of his considerable charm and cunning to keep Loki from fucking the Dursleys up; he had to focus. He couldn't lose control, too.

'It's too quiet,' Loki murmured.

Tony immediately startled fiddling with the radio, and eventually found some station that was playing pop. Tony found the accents hilarious- he could _hear_ them over the music- but left the station on, anyway. He had a feeling that Loki needed the white noise to calm his thoughts and anger.

_Anything to help,_ Tony mused as the music grated through his head.  _Jesus, I should have brought my MP3._

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Privet Drive was in a nice neighbourhood, Tony supposed; you know, if you liked all your houses identical, with no personality whatsoever. See, this was why Tony loved New York; none of the buildings matched, there was always noise, and you were in the heart of everything. If Tony had to live here he'd go insane within four hours.

Tony stepped on the gas, practically tearing up the street and past houses. Loki was keeping count with his superior eyesight, and soon snapped, 'Stop!' Tony hit the breaks a little too hard and the car skidded to a halt, Tony grinning despite himself. A little fun in difficult times could only help, right?

Loki pointed and Tony turned to look at the house. It was the same as every other one; small, made of brick, with a one-door garage and a wilting lawn with a few bushes and trees up against the house and to the left of the lawn.

Loki's green eyes were narrowed, colour dark like poison, and Tony turned back to look at him. 'Remember what we talked about?'

Loki nodded stiffly.

'Lokes...'

'Don't murder the filthy humans who thought that it would be a good idea to _torture my son_ ,' Loki snarled.

Tony sighed. That was probably the best he was going to get. 'If you lose it, go outside; burn their car or something. Just don't touch them, okay? My lawyers and even SHIELD will make sure that they go to prison.'

Fury had called on the way over, having been informed of the situation by both Bruce and JARVIS. He'd told Tony that he and the entire organisation would personally insure that the Dursleys spent the maximum number of years in prison. Tony had never heard Fury that... well, _furious_. But he guessed that maybe Fury had daddy issues, too. Really, the Avengers was just a giant “My Dad Never Loved Me” club. They should make stickers. And sweaters.

Tony's respect for Fury had climbed rather highly. If Fury helped make the Dursleys pay, Tony would build a hundred fucking Helicarriers for him, no payment necessary.

Tony rolled his head, tried to work out the tension, and climbed from the car. He'd parked somewhat haphazardly on the road, but didn't care as he walked around to the boot. It popped open with a click of the key-fob, and Tony pulled out two suitcases; one held all the paperwork necessary to take Harry with them and send the Dursleys to jail, while the other held his portable Iron Man suit. Hey, if Loki _did_ try to slaughter the Dursleys, Tony had least wanted to _try_ and stop him.

Loki was standing on the sidewalk, hands once more curled into fists. He was staring at the house, eyes practically glowing with rage, and Tony dropped both suitcases to hug him from behind. Loki stiffened immediately but didn't move, just like Tony knew he wouldn't. Tony had found over the past year that Loki would never, ever physically harm Tony if he could help it. The best way to calm Loki down was to touch him in some way. It forced Loki to reign in his strength, push his anger down, and once more take control of himself.

So they just stood there, silent, clouds drifting overhead and a soft wind blowing across their skin. It was nippy despite the earlier summer heat. Tony regretted not bringing a sweater, but at least got to stare at Loki in his own; it was green, tight, and wrapped around him like a second skin. Add in the skinny black jeans and Loki was sex on legs.

Loki breathed out deeply and rolled his shoulders, and Tony came back to himself. Right, they were here for a reason; get Harry and stop Loki from killing filthy mortals. Right.

'Ready?' Tony asked.

Loki took another breath before nodding. Tony let him go completely and stepped back. Loki let him lead, putting himself behind Tony as they walked up the short path to the door. Honestly, even the _door_ was boring. Tony huffed softly to himself as he brought his hand up and rapped on the wood with his knuckles. This was it. Time to see if Tony could pull this off. If he could, he'd buy himself a new car; he was worth it.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


The woman who opened the door was a stick of a woman, wearing a floral dress that matched her jewellery and apron. Tony wrinkled his nose as he looked her over. She had a horse-like face, suspicion in her eyes, but if morphed to amazement when she realised just who was standing on her doorstep.

Huh, even in England Tony was famous. Awesome.

'Good evening,' Tony pasted a very fake smile on his face. 'I'm Tony Stark.'

He didn't offer his hand, and neither did the woman; Tony assumed that she was Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt.

'I know who you are,' she finally breathed.

'Good, that'll make this quicker,' Tony quipped. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the god who was practically plastered to his back. Once upon a time Tony might have hated the possessiveness that Loki always exhibited when around Tony and other people, but now he just found comfort in it. There wasn't anything that Loki wouldn't do to keep Tony safe and happy. It worked both ways. 'This is my partner, Loki Laufeyson. Can we come in? Thanks.'

He pushed his way inside, Loki hot in his heels, not giving the woman time to say no. Tony had found that acting like you'd get everything you wanted was a sure fire way to _actually_ get what you wanted; don't give them a choice, just take. It worked in business, and Tony hoped that it'd work here, too. Really, there was no way in hell that he and Loki were leaving this house without Harry Potter.

Tony heard the door close behind him and Loki and made his way through the small house. The living room to their left was empty, so Tony headed for the noise; a TV was playing in the kitchen at the end of the hallway, and Tony assumed that it was dinner time, so they'd probably find Vernon Dursley in there.

Sure enough, the man was sitting at the kitchen table eating dessert, and Tony froze in the doorway when he set eyes on him.

_Wow_ . Seriously, how could anyone actually  _live_ with that much weight on their bones? Tony really didn't care about things like height, weight, looks; shit like that didn't bother him in all honesty. But the man was... morbidly obese really didn't seem to cover it. The shirt he was wearing strained around his girth, and his neck was more chin than anything else. The boy sitting beside him, who must have been his son, was just as massive, only smaller.

Shit. Really, this couple let their son stuff his face until he was the size of a whale, but starved Harry? This was going to be harder than Tony had first hoped.

'Hi there,' Tony greeted once again. Dursley was staring at him, moustache twitching as Tony forced food and cutlery aside in favour of slamming his briefcase on the table.

'What are you doing in my house?' the fat man finally demanded when Tony had taken a seat, portable Iron Man suit at his side.

Petunia had joined them, standing next to her husband, and Dudley was staring wide-eyed between Tony and Loki. Loki had once more taken up a position at Tony's back, arms by his side and a completely blank expression on his face. Only his eyes gave away his fury, which Tony saw before he turned his attention on the Dursley family.

'I'm here to discuss the matter of one Harry James Potter,' Tony said.

Vernon's buggy eyes narrowed, face turning an alarming shade of purple. Tony wondered if he'd just have a heart attack right here and now. Honestly, how hadn't he had one yet? 'There's no one here by that name,' Vernon growled.

Tony raised an eyebrow. 'Really?' He snapped open his briefcase and pulled out the documents his lawyers had faxed him. Being a billionaire had its perks; information at the snap of his fingers, no matter where he was.

Tony laid the papers out on the table, facing Vernon, speaking as he did.

'This is the paperwork declaring you and Petunia Dursley the guardians of eleven-year-old Harry James Potter, Petunia's nephew. These are the documents from Harry's elementary school, which he was enrolled in the same year as your son, Dudley. These are documents you filled out for Harry to attend  Stonewall High. And  _this_ is a copy of your various claims that Harry James Potter, your nephew, currently attends St. Brutus' Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.' Tony's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the larger man. 'But we all know that that's a lie.'

Vernon bristled, clearly enraged that some American would just barge into his home and start spouting off crap about his freak of a nephew. Tony had a  _lot_ of conversations on paper with Vernon calling the poor boy a freak. It made Tony want to punch him in his fat mouth.

'You're one of his lot, are you?' Vernon demanded. 'I thought you were a business man, a respectable man, but you've thrown yourself in with that lot!'

'That lot?' Tony echoed. 'Oh, you mean that magical world?' He tisked. 'No, I'm as non-magical as you and your wife are.' His eyes flashed to Petunia, remembering the brief words Loki had spoken about her. 'Hurts, doesn't it?' he smirked.

Petunia scowled at him but didn't say a word. Huh, maybe she was smarter than she looked.

'I'll get right down to business,' Tony said, eyes once more on Vernon. 'We're here for Harry.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** So... updating again, yep. Remember, don't get used to this! It's just that I had chocolate and sat down and wrote a giant chunk of this, so... there you go. Hope you liked it.
> 
> {Dreamer}


	4. Chapter 4

Silence followed Tony's words for a few minutes, until Vernon scowled. 'Excuse me?'

'We're here for Harry,' Tony repeated. 'You clearly don't want him. You clearly can't actually show him the love and affection that he deserves. And we'll get to that in a bit. But right now I want you and your wife to sign this paperwork...' he trailed off as he drew new documents, slapping them atop Harry's school records. 'You're going to sign over all rights of Harry to me and Loki here. You're going to do so without a fuss. If you _do_ kick up a fuss, please remember that I'm a billionaire and have connections with very powerful people in almost all governments around the world. I can make your life a lot harder if you don't do as I ask.'

Vernon's face was turning purple again, and Tony watched in mild amusement.

'You think I want the boy?' he finally spat. 'We never wanted him! He's brought us nothing but trouble! We took him in because that Headmaster asked us to!'

'Headmaster?' Loki finally spoke. His hands went to the back of Tony's chair, and Tony heard the wood creak as Loki gripped it. 'Dumbledore?'

That was a name Tony hadn't heard, but it seemed that Petunia and Vernon were familiar with him.

'Yes,  _him_ ,' Petunia hissed. 'He said that the boy needed to stay with blood relatives because of the mad man that killed his parents.'

'See?' Vernon said, waving a meaty hand. 'We protected him just by letting him stay here!'

'You  _hurt_ him!' Loki snarled, and the chair cracked loudly beneath his hands. 'You did nothing but beat him and starve him since you took him!'

'We put our lives in danger for that freak!' Vernon snarled.

Tony was on his feet immediately, turning to face Loki, who'd gripped the chair so tightly that the top of it snapped clean in half. 'Loki, remember what we talked about,' he said.

Loki didn't look at him, and his anger didn't recede. But he loosened his grip on the chair and stood taller, eyes blazing on Vernon Dursley.

'Good,' Tony nodded and turned back around. He didn't retake his seat, instead using his rather short height to loom over Dursley. 'Harry's parents weren't murdered by Voldemort,' Tony spoke. Only Petunia flinched at the name, making Tony realise that she knew more about the magical community than she let on. 'He murdered Lily Potter, yes, but James Potter survived.'

'No,' Petunia shook her head immediately. 'Dumbledore took me to see the bodies a few weeks after Harry was brought here.'

Tony frowned at that. He and Loki had no clue how Harry had been brought to the Dursleys, and it was something that Loki really wanted to know.

'Tell me exactly what happened,' Loki ordered.

Petunia flinched at his tone, but drew herself to her full height. 'Almost eleven years ago I went to get the paper. Dudley was about sixteen months old. Harry had been left on the doorstep with a letter. Dumbledore explained what had happened, and left an address to write to him if Harry needed anything. Vernon didn't want to keep him, but the letter explained that mine and Dudley's blood would protect Harry from anyone who tried to harm him magically.'

Petunia hesitated at that, eyes on her husband, and Tony frowned. This didn't make sense. From what Loki had told him, Petunia Dursley  _ née _ Evans had hated her sister with more fury than Loki had ever hated Thor. She'd been insanely jealous that her sister had been magical, while she'd been nothing more than a Muggle. She hadn't replied to the invitation to Loki and Lily's wedding, and she hadn't replied when news of Harry's birth had been sent out. The sisters hadn't spoken to each other since Lily had graduated Hogwarts.

'I contacted Dumbledore a few weeks after Harry was left with us,' Petunia continued. 'I wanted to see Lily, to prove to myself that she _was_ dead and that we were the only option for Harry.' She twisted her fingers in her apron, eyes somewhere on Tony's chest. 'He showed me their bodies.'

'Lily was murdered,' Loki spoke almost immediately, and all eyes turned to him, Tony's included. 'But I wasn't.'

Petunia frowned. 'Excuse me?'

'Roughly thirty years ago I came to Midgard to escape the stifling atmosphere of my home realm,' Loki told her. 'I spent a few years wandering and learning about both Muggle and magical culture. Soon I found an older couple who couldn't have children. I used magic to convince them that I was their son.'

Suddenly Loki was encased in gold light that melted into green. Loki had already shown Tony this, so he wasn't surprised when the light faded away to show a six-foot tall man with short, messy black hair and hazel eyes framed by glasses.

Petunia gasped, a hand going to her chest, and Vernon turned an outright sickly shade of red and purple. Dudley yelped and fell right off his seat, scrambling back to press himself against the wall, a terrified look on his fat face.

'I'm a mage,' Loki told them, his voice softer, not as deep as before. 'I was born on Jötunheimr and raised on Asgard, two realms connected to your planet by Yggdrasil. My real name is Loki Laufeyson, not James Potter.'

'L-L-Loki,' Petunia gasped. 'Like... like the god who invaded New York?'

'Aye,' Loki nodded, and shifted back to his Asgardian skin with a few sparks of gold. 'Almost twelve years ago Lily and I were gifted with a son; a boy who looked like the perfect mix of both of us, already strong with both mortal magic and what I then believed to be Asgardian magic.'

Loki took a step forward and Tony grabbed his arm, trying to anchor Loki and calm him down.

'Eleven years ago my father, the King of Asgard, discovered where I was and ordered me home. I left a clone so that nobody would be aware of my disappearance.' Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, golden light appeared on either side of Loki, and suddenly exact copies of him flickered into life. Two, five, eight, twelve Lokis, all glaring at Petunia and Vernon Dursley.

Vernon was trying to struggle to his feet, but his weight hindered him, and Petunia was frozen to the spot, eyes bugging out of her skull.

'When I returned,' Loki snarled, 'my wife had been murdered and my son stolen. He was brought here by _Dumbledore_ and left with people who should have cared for him.'

The Lokis all smirked, evil gestures that made their faces twist. Magic sparked around Loki and Tony dug his fingers into his partner's arm.

'For eleven years you have abused a Prince of Asgard and Jötunheimr,' Loki announced. 'I am Prince Loki of Asgard, son of King Odin and Queen Frigga, brother of Crown Prince Thor. I am Crown Prince Loki of Jötunheimr, and my heir is Harry Potter, your nephew.

'Not only have you enraged a god more powerful than anybody on this planet,' Loki spat, 'but you have made enemies out of the strongest humans ever to live on this rock. You have declared war against two extremely powerful realms who will stop at nothing to destroy those who hurt one of their princes!'

Loki had explained it all to Tony in the past, but had gone into more detail on the plane ride over. Odin had never stripped Loki of his title as Prince of Asgard, and had in fact reinstated it after Loki had served the first half of his sentence on Asgard. One of Loki's younger biological brothers- a Frost Giant- had become King of Jötunheimr after Laufey's murder at Loki's hands, and Frost Giant politics worked differently to Asgard's. Loki was still heir apparent to the throne; Crown Prince as the eldest son of Laufey, despite his abandonment, adoption by Odin and Frigga, and murder of his father. If Loki wanted he could return to Jötunheimr and become King. Apparently a lot of Kings ascended the throne by murdering their predecessors.

And, as Loki had explained, despite Harry's status as half-human, he was still a Prince of both realms. He would be welcomed with open arms by both sides, more so by Jötunheimr because they didn't discriminate against other cultures and species to the extent that the Æsir did. It was all terribly complicated, and Tony was sure that he'd gotten half of it wrong and missed a few key points. But the main point was that Harry Potter had a hell of a lot of titles and very, very powerful connections through his father and through Tony. Odin would punish anyone who had dared to lay a hand on his grandson, and Jötunheimr wouldn't be far behind. They took that shit seriously.

'If you want to avoid a war with two realms,' Loki hissed, 'you will sign this paperwork, tell me who kept Harry with you, and admit to everything you have done. Failure to comply by these terms and I will call the Kings of both realms and have you tried as criminals against Asgard and Jötunheimr, and against the Princes of both realms. I will also personally see to it that both of you are tortured to within an inch of your lives. Then, I will heal you and start again.'

Silence followed Loki's deceleration, and Tony kept his eyes on the god. Petunia was frozen completely, eyes wide and terrified, while Vernon's head, once again, looked like it was going to explode. Dudley had curled himself into a ball in the corner, apparently hoping that he'd avoid Loki's fury if he made himself a smaller target. It really didn't help; the kid had to weigh at least sixty pounds more than Tony himself, and Tony wasn't exactly a small guy.

Vernon finally found his voice. Or, he tried. It was mostly spluttering; 'You can't... I won't... how dare you!'

Suddenly there was nothing beneath Tony's hand, nothing at his side but air, and in a flash of gold magic Loki was across the room. He easily wrapped his long fingers around Dursley's throat despite its considerable girth, and slammed the fat man into the wall. Plaster cracked and the fridge rocked; plates fell and picture frames tilted. Loki snarled, knuckles white, Vernon's face turning a sick shade of blue.

'You listen to me you _ant_ ,' Loki snarled, voice dangerously soft despite the tone. 'I am above your mortal laws! Do you really think that your government will start a _war_ with two realms, two realms home to some of the most powerful beings in existence, for _you_? They will side with Tony Stark, their hero and leader, over you. They will give me custody of my son no matter what you do! All that will change is whether or not you rot in a prison cell, or spend your days travelling between Asgard and Jötunheimr to be tortured day and night, healed only long enough to keep you alive so the pain can begin anew.

'Believe me,' Loki hissed, eyes locked on Dursley's, 'I have endured pain that you can't even _dream_ of. I can make your life very, very horrible. I will start with your wife, leaving you to waste away until you're nothing but skin and bones. And then, when torturing her loses its pleasure, I will move onto your son. Both will be healed, both will go mad with pain, and you will watch it all, knowing full well that you could have avoided this by agreeing to our terms.'

Well... at least Loki hadn't choked him, but he was well on his way. Tony didn't feel bad for Vernon Dursley at all, and instead cleared his throat and tapped the documents. 'Sign these, now.'

Vernon didn't say a word, but Petunia rushed forward. 'Vernon, please!' she begged, clawing at her husband's shoulder. 'Think of Dudley! He's innocent, he can still live out his life. Just sign the documents, let Harry go!'

Tony wasn't sure if her pain was for all that she and her family had caused Harry, or pain for what could happen to her own son. Frankly, Tony didn't care. Petunia Dursley had let this happen to Harry, to her own flesh and blood. She deserved to suffer.

Finally, Vernon tried to nod, and Loki let him go. He stepped back and sneered at Vernon as his wife helped him to his feet. Vernon heaved his large form back onto his seat and took the pen Tony offered. With a few strokes, and a few rustles of paper, Harry was signed over into Loki and Tony's care.

'Pleasure doing business with you,' Tony said, smirk widening when Vernon glared at him. 'Now, you're going to tell me everything that you've done to Harry over the years, and I'm going to record it on this StarkTech voice recorder as evidence.' Tony drew the device from his briefcase and set it on the table. 'You're also going to put it all in writing. After this, I have some friends who've already contacted the local police department. They're going to come here and arrest you for the years of suffering you've forced on Harry.'

'What about Dudley?' Petunia asked, clutching her chest.

Tony shrugged. 'Foster care, I assume.' He glanced at the kid, who was still in the corner. 'Maybe Dudley will learn from this and turn out to be a decent person. I honestly don't give a fuck. Now, tell Loki where his son is while we do this.'

Petunia gulped thickly and looked up at Loki. 'Upstairs. You'll know his room when you see it.'

Loki left the kitchen without a word, and Tony kept his eyes on the Dursleys. 'Start talking,' he ordered.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


The house was too small, too clean, too... _ordinary_. Loki had spent most of his life in Asgard, where everything was stagnant; nothing ever changed. At least there was the odd feast and battle to liven things up. Living in Stark Tower with Tony had been like a breath of fresh air the first time Loki had agreed to dwell there, and Loki had fallen in love with the place more and more as time passed. There was always something happening, whether it be Barton climbing through the air-ducts, Thor destroying another piece of furniture, or Rogers and Romanov testing weapons in the team gym Tony had constructed.

Of course, Tony's lab was the most amazing place. It was where Tony took the ideas from his mind and made them a reality. It was where he performed his own brand of magic, and Loki was fascinated each and every time he sat and watched. Stark Tower was a _home_ , complete with random, insane family members, with craziness happening around every corner. This? This was a jail, a museum; far too boring for Loki's son to really grow.

Loki climbed the stairs quietly and stood at the end of the small hallway. There were four doors, but Loki spotted Harry's immediately.

There was a padlock on the door, a flap cut into the bottom.

Loki turned and put his fist through the wall, but it did nothing to calm the fresh rage coursing through his veins. His magic was itching to lash out, to destroy and set fire to this house with the Dursleys still in it. Without Tony's calming presence and words, Loki would have done it immediately. He would have stolen Harry from the house and tortured the Dursleys, then burned their disgusting house down with them in it.

But he couldn't. For now, he had to play by human laws. He had to make sure that nobody could ever take Harry away from him again. If that meant forcing the Dursleys to suffer in a human prison, then so be it. At least they would pay somewhat for what they had done. And, if Loki happened to visit them in prison and send them mad, well... nobody had to know.

Loki took a few deep breaths before continuing down the hallway and to Harry's bedroom. He grabbed the padlock and snapped it clean off the door, tossing it and the metal it was attached to over his shoulder. Loki also pushed the small bowl that had been sitting before the door aside. All it contained was the cool remains of soup, and Loki gritted his teeth. Harry was a growing boy and half-Jötunn; that bowl was far too small to properly feed him. It was for sauces, not a _meal_.

Trying to get a hold of himself once more, Loki grasped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open.

The room was small, the wallpaper a dull brown. The only decorations was a small Gryffindor flag and what looked like a hand-drawn picture of an owl. A real owl sat on the small table in the left corner, her white feathers bristling, yellow eyes narrowed as they rested on Loki through the bars of her cage. His son had a familiar, then; an animal that was more a friend than a pet; far too intelligent to be simply referred to as such.

Loki turned when he didn't find Harry on the small bed, and tried to ignore the fact that there were _bars on the window_. This was for his son; he would _not_ go on a murderous rampage.

A small closet stood just behind the door, and Loki eyed it as he stepped further into the room. One of the doors was thrown open, showing Loki a small amount of over-sized clothing that would better fit the whale child downstairs than Harry. And, hiding behind the door, Loki could see a very small pair of feet clad in ripped, over-sized socks.

Slowly, Loki stepped forward, and he reached out, closing the door with a slightly shaking hand.

Harry blinked up at him, brilliant green eyes magnified by his round, cracked glasses. His hair was messy, reminiscent of when Loki had been James Potter, and his nose was sharp, chin held defiantly as he looked up at Loki.

Loki's magic sang in his veins, threatening to tear across the room and claim Harry as his son once more. Loki could feel the boy's power, both mortal magic and Jötunn magic, battling to do the same. Harry was clearly terrified, but he didn't move an inch; he just stared at Loki with eyes too hardened for a boy so young, too intelligent for a simple eleven-year-old.

'Hello,' Loki broke the silence, voice soft so as not to scare the poor child anymore.

Harry blinked. 'Hello,' he echoed.

'My name's Loki,' the god said and stepped closer. Harry tried to press himself further into the wall, and Loki froze. 'I'm not here to hurt you.'

Harry stared at him. 'Why _are_ you here?' he questioned.

'To take you away from your... relatives,' Loki almost spat the last word, but held his tongue at the last moment.

Harry's eyes widened, and a frown formed on his small lips. 'Take... me away?' he asked. Loki nodded. 'Why?'

'Because they don't deserve to have you,' Loki stated. 'They're nothing but filth who pretend to call themselves human.'

Harry blinked again. 'But... but why now?' he asked. 'Why after... I told Madam Pomfrey, and she said she'd do something, has... did she tell someone?'

Loki frowned at that. Madam Pomfrey had started working as the Hogwarts nurse when he was in his sixth year. She was still at Hogwarts?

His frown darkened when he realised that the woman either hadn't told anyone, or that Dumbledore- for who else could it be?- had, once again, covered up Harry's suffering.

Loki remembered Dumbledore. The old coot had always been weary of Loki, perhaps sensing that he wasn't quite the all-loving trickster that he appeared to be when he was James Potter. Dumbledore was a brilliant man, Loki could admit, but the war had changed everyone, and Loki didn't doubt that Dumbledore would have done everything in his power to destroy Voldemort. Even if it meant using an innocent child.

'No,' Loki finally spoke, voice cracking slightly. 'My... a friend of mine discovered what was happening to you, and we came to save you. You'll never have to see the Dursleys again.'

'But...' Harry's frown was an exact copy of Loki's. His hair was the same shade, his cheekbones almost a match, his hands and the spot below his bottom lip all matching Loki exactly. His eyes weren't as green as Loki's; oh, they were still brilliant, but they were the same shade as Lily's. The softness of his eyes, his face, matched perfectly, and made Loki ache for what he had lost. 'Why?' Harry finally asked. 'Why are you doing this?'

'Harry...' Loki nearly choked on the name, and breathed deeply. 'Come, let's sit. There's a lot I have to tell you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** Seriously, I'm such a bloody liar. I say that I'll update and I don't for a few months. I say that I _won't_ update and write a few chapters within five days. Oh, my muse, what the fuck?
> 
> Anywho... thank you for all the comments and kudos, they're greatly appreciate. And I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> {Dreamer}


	5. Chapter 5

Harry hesitated before following Loki to the small bed, and Loki smiled inwardly. It seemed his son had inherited his taste for adventure and danger. Harry shuffled a bit on the bedspread, and ran a small hand through his thick, tangled mess of hair. The sleeves of his plaid shirt fell over his wrists and hands, rolled up but still getting in the way.

'Do you know how your parents died?' Loki opened with.

'Yes,' Harry nodded. 'I mean, I didn't until last year.'

Loki frowned. 'Pardon?'

'Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon told me that my dad was a drunk,' Harry said, 'and that they died in a car crash. That's how I got this.' He pushed his fringe up, and Loki's eyes landed on the thin, lighting bolt shaped scar.

There was dark magic there, Loki could feel it; magic at its purest form twisted to fit the needs of deranged mortals who fancied themselves gods. Loki scowled, and promised himself to look into that. He was sure that he could clear Harry of that taint. And if he couldn't, his mother could. Frigga was far more skilled at healing magic than Loki ever would be.

'But then, last year, Hagrid told me the truth,' Harry said.

'Hagrid?' Loki interrupted. 'The Hogwarts games keeper?'

Harry looked surprised that Loki knew that, and nodded slowly. 'Yeah. He came to get me when my aunt and uncle ignored the letters from Hogwarts.'

Loki's frown, once again, deepened, and he wondered if he would ever smile again. Hogwarts was supposed to send a professor for all magical children raised in a Muggle house-hold. A representative of the Ministry of Magic was supposed to accompany them and inform the family of what was happening. Why would Dumbledore send a _games keeper_ to get Harry?

'He told me that Voldemort killed my parents,' Harry said. 'I mean, You-Know-Who,' he hastened to correct, looking worried that Loki would freak out.

Loki understood. When Voldemort had been at the height of his power, the mere mention of his name had killed many fine wizards and witches. But Loki wasn't a wizard, nor was he a witch. He'd gone into hiding to protect Harry, Lily, and the alias he had created; the _life_ he had created. There was no doubt in his mind that Voldemort was no match for him, a thousand-year-old Jötunn mage who had been raised on Asgard, who had studied magic longer than Voldemort had been alive. If Loki had just confronted him, finally destroyed him, Harry never would have suffered.

But, as Tony had said, that was in the past. And if none of that had happened, Loki wouldn't have Tony. He had loved Lily with all his heart, and would until his dying day. But she had believed a lie, one that had made Loki feel guilt like he never had before. She hadn't known the true him, hadn't understood him; Tony did.

Loki shook his head. The past was the past; he couldn't change it. What mattered now was Harry, and healing him from what he had been through.

'That is true,' he finally spoke, 'your mother _was_ murdered by Voldemort. Your father, however...'

'Was murdered, too,' Harry supplied when Loki trailed off.

'No,' Loki shook his head, and Harry frowned once more. 'Your father wasn't who everybody believed him to be.'

'What do you mean?' Harry asked.

Loki sighed. 'Do you know what your father looks like?'

Harry nodded and stood from the bed. Loki watched in confusion as the boy shuffled under the bed. There was the creak of a floorboard being pulled up, and when Harry reappeared he was slightly dusty and holding what appeared to be a photo album.

Harry re-took his seat beside Loki and flipped the book open. Loki spotted a few pictures of Harry- magic ones, as they were moving- as well as a red-headed boy, and a girl with bushy brown hair. Harry moved quickly until he opened up a well-worn page.

There were two photos; one of Lily and Loki dancing in a courtyard, another of the two by the lake at Hogwarts, both wearing their Gryffindor robes and giggling together.

Loki's face softened as he once more gazed upon Lily Evans. She had been breathtaking; smart, kind, far more brilliant than anybody else she had gone to school with.

'That's my dad,' Harry said, pointing at James. 'I look just like him.'

'Mm,' Loki agreed. It was true that Harry looked a lot like James Potter, while his eyes and face were more Lily. But Loki had kept some of his own features as James Potter; his pale skin, the shape of his eyes and lips, the spots on his neck, the one just beneath his lower lip. Harry's hair was as black as Loki's, too. 'Harry, I'm not sure if you will believe what I'm about to tell you,' he said, drawing the boy's attention, 'but I ask that you keep an open mind while you digest this information.'

Harry frowned at that, but his eyes were curious. Loki stood from the bed and faced Harry, keeping green eyes on green as he shifted.

Harry's mouth dropped open as Loki let James Potter's skin slip over him. It was more than a glamour; Loki had built this skin, had let it grow with his friends and year-mates. He'd put work into appearing as though he were a pure-blood with a simple, human magical core. It was almost as strong as Loki's Asgardian skin, almost as easy to slip into, but not quite.

'Wh... what?' Harry breathed.

'My name is Loki Laufeyson. I was born on Jötunheimr and raised on Asgard,' Loki explained.

'Like... like Thor?' Harry questioned. When Loki quirked an eyebrow, Harry said, 'It was all Dudley and his friends talked about last summer; the battle in America, and the God of Thunder, Thor.'

'Yes,' Loki nodded, 'I'm Thor's brother.'

Harry started at that, eyes wide, and Loki assumed that Harry knew something about his involvement in the invasion. Loki let his Asgardian form slip over him once more and re-took his seat, keeping space between himself and his son. He didn't want to overwhelm Harry any more than he already had.

'About thirty-five years ago,' Loki began, 'I arrived on Midgard.'

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Harry believed Loki. The story was too fantastical not to be true. And Loki had shown him magic, had shown him how different it was to the magic that Harry had been learning about over the past year. He shifted into other people, other genders and species, and showed Harry a bit of what he was capable of.

This was far more surreal than when Harry had been told that he was a wizard. This changed him yet again, built on knowledge that he had already known. His father wasn't James Potter, pure-blood and Lord of the Potter family. He was Loki of Asgard and Jötunheimr, Norse God and powerful mage.

Loki had explained the difference between wizards and mages, and had promised to go into more detail later, when Harry was comfortable and had been fed. Harry still felt a thrill of pleasure shoot through his body every time Loki spoke of taking him away.

No longer would he be forced to do chores. He wouldn't be locked in his room, and used as a punching bag by Dudley and his mates. He had a father, an uncle and grandmother, people who cared about his well-being! The absolute fury in Loki's eyes whenever he spoke the Dursleys' names was unlike anything Harry had ever seen. He hadn't realised that people were capable of that kind of rage. Maybe it was just gods?

Loki had gone quiet after revealing his connection to Harry, and what had happened the night Voldemort had tracked the Potters down. Harry didn't blame Loki. How could he have known that Voldemort would find them? Loki had been dragged back home by his adopted father, the King. He could do nothing but leave.

Harry could tell that Loki had loved Lily; it was in the tone that overtook his voice when he spoke of her, in the way his bright green eyes softened.

It was all so... fantastical and amazing and... Harry was half sure that this was a dream; that at any moment he'd awaken, his bedroom door locked tight, with the Dursleys pushing small cups of soup into his bedroom through the cat-flap. But he wanted to believe; he wanted to believe that Loki loved him, would actually be his _father_ , and would take him away and give him a real home.

'Are you well?' Loki asked, looking awkward and worried.

'Y-Yeah,' Harry spoke, sucking in a breath when his voice shook. 'It's a lot to take in.'

'I understand,' Loki said. He sounded like he was speaking from experience. 'You're handling this far better than I would.'

Harry wondered what had happened to Loki to make him sound so bitter at times, but decided not to ask. He didn't want to upset Loki. The god might decide that Harry wasn't worth it and leave him here. Anything was better than staying with the Dursleys; even following a Norse God into the unknown.

'I know that you are probably worried,' Loki spoke again, 'and you must be terrified of coming with me and Tony. But I promise that we'll take care of you.'

'I want to come!' Harry near-shouted, making Loki blink. 'I mean... anything's better than... I don't want to be here anymore. This isn't my home.'

Loki's eyes hardened, and his hands curled into fists in his lap. Harry gulped.

'Yes,' Loki nodded, 'believe me, I want you out of this house as soon as possible.' He glanced around the room, and his eyes rested on Hedwig. 'Is there anything in this room you want to take with you?'

'Hedwig,' Harry said immediately, pointing at his owl when Loki raised an eyebrow.

'Ah, your familiar,' Loki nodded. Harry had never heard her referred to as such, but didn't say a word. 'Anything else?' Loki asked.

'My trunk, and my broom and stuff,' Harry said. 'It's all locked in the cupboard under the stairs.'

Loki nodded and stood, so Harry followed, rushing across the room to grab Hedwig.

'Leave your clothing,' Loki said, eyeing the wardrobe in disgust. 'Tony and I will buy you new things; your own things.'

Harry just nodded. Loki had told him that Tony Stark- _the_ Tony Stark- was a very good friend of his, and had helped Loki find Harry. He was sorting out all the legal paperwork that was needed for Loki to take Harry with him. He and Loki sounded very close, and Harry hoped that Mr Stark liked him. Maybe that would help Loki like Harry, too.

Loki let Harry leave the room first, and followed closely as Harry walked through the hallway and downstairs. He hadn't bothered grabbing his shoes, but they were an old pair of Dudley's and didn't fit properly; hopefully Loki was telling the truth and would buy Harry new clothes. If not, Harry would find something; he'd cope.

He always did.

There were hushed voices coming from the kitchen, but Loki ignored them in favour of focusing on the cupboard under the stairs. Harry watched, amazed, as Loki easily snapped the padlock from the door with his bare hands.

When the door swung open, though, everything went wrong.

Loki stiffened, and the air was suddenly charged, like a bolt of lighting had blasted through the room. Harry shivered at the sudden raw power surging through his body, and wondered if this was why mages were different to wizards; he'd never felt anyone as powerful as Loki.

Suddenly the god turned, eyes blazing, and Harry backed up further until his back hit the wall.

'Harry,' he said, voice deadly calm, 'did you spend any time in this room?'

'I... y-yes,' Harry stuttered, somehow finding his voice despite his fear. This was far more terrifying than facing Voldemort and Quirrell. Loki was all rage and barely constrained power, gold and green sparks dancing around his fingers, hair curling as even more power swept over the house.

Loki snarled and turned, and then flickered out of sight. Harry gaped, but when he heard screaming he knew where Loki had gone. He carefully placed Hedwig's cage on the floor and rushed to the kitchen.

Dudley was in the corner, Aunt Petunia was crying by the fridge, Loki was holding Uncle Vernon up against the wall, and Iron Man was trying to pry Harry's father off of his uncle.

Iron Man was standing in the kitchen. Harry didn't know why he was surprised. The TV had said that Tony Stark was Iron Man, and Loki had said that Tony Stark was his best friend.

'YOU KEPT HIM IN A CUPBOARD!' Loki roared, spittle flying and hitting Uncle Vernon's puce-coloured face. Only it wasn't from anger; Loki was clearly choking the life out of him. 'HOW LONG?!' Uncle Vernon spluttered. ' _HOW LONG?!_ ' Loki screamed and slammed him against the wall, making it shudder and crack.

'Ten years!' Aunt Petunia choked out through her tears.

Loki screamed again, and drew his fist back, but Iron Man finally wrapped an arm around him, pushed a hand against his chest, and blasted him back.

Loki went flying, slamming into the wall opposite and going straight through. Aunt Petunia and Dudley both screamed as dust and debris rained down, making Harry gag and cough through the sleeve of his shirt. Loki didn't appear damaged in any way; he stood, green eyes glowing with poison.

'Loki!' Iron Man snapped, faceplate snapping up to show a face that Harry had only seen on TV a handful of times. 'We talked about this!'

'They kept him locked in a cupboard like a dog!' Loki snarled.

'I know, and they'll pay for it!' Iron Man shouted right back. 'But we _talked about this_! You can't kill them, no matter how much you want to! Let us humans deal with this. They'll rot in prison for what they've done, and I told you what prisoners do to child abusers!'

Loki calmed only a fraction at that. He was still seething, and energy was still crackling around the room, hanging heavy in the air and smothering them all.

'Please don't,' Harry said when it became clear that Loki was going to try again.

All eyes turned to him, even Mr Stark's. 'Harry?' Loki asked, voice hoarse from all the screaming.

'Don’t kill them because of me,' Harry said. 'I... I want them to pay for what they did, but...' Harry couldn't live with himself if they died because of _him_. His mother already had. Not the Dursleys, too. Harry didn't love them, but they were his family. He just couldn't...

'Harry,' Loki near-whimpered, eyes softening as they rested on the young wizard. 'Harry, what they did-'

'Was wrong,' Harry said, trying to inject some steel into his tone. He stared his father down defiantly. 'They should be punished properly. Don't do it yourself. They aren't worth it.'

Loki stared at him, and silence fell. Even Aunt Petunia had gone quiet, and Dudley had his face hidden in his hands, large body shaking in terror.

Finally, when Harry was sure that Loki was going to murder Uncle Vernon right there in front of him, his father backed down. His body slackened and the power smothering the room disappeared, not fully but enough to let Harry breathe.

'For you,' Loki said, nodding slightly. 'I'm only letting them live for you.'

'Thank you,' Harry murmured. He turned hesitantly to the room at large, all eyes on him. 'Um...'

'Hey, kid, thanks for that,' Mr Stark grinned. 'He's a tough nut to handle.'

'That makes no sense, Anthony,' Loki grumbled, but there was a softness around his eyes that Harry had only seen when Loki was speaking about Lily. He filed that information away for later.

'Well,' Mr Stark said, and suddenly the Iron Man suit started pulling itself apart. Harry watched in amazement as it folded itself into a neat red-and-gold suitcase at Mr Stark's feet, revealing the man to be wearing jeans and a t-shirt, a soft blue glow just visible on his chest through the material of his shirt. Harry wondered what that was. 'The paperwork's been finalised, and the police are on their way,' Tony told Loki, and Harry, too. Harry felt included, which was still a new feeling. 'A few more hours and we'll have all this sorted, then we can be on our way. Fury promised to keep an eye on things; he's assigned Coulson to the case.'

Harry had no idea who those people were, but Loki nodded, so he took another calming breath. 'What should I do?' he asked.

Loki was still glaring at the Dursleys, so Mr Stark smiled at Harry. 'How about you take your dad outside, huh? Tell him all about that magic school you go to.'

Loki looked at Mr Stark thankfully, and Harry nodded. He glanced at Loki before leading the way from the kitchen and through the house, stopping only to collect Hedwig. They stepped outside and Harry breathed in the fresh night air. He hadn't realised just how stifling the house had been until he was out of it.

'I'm sorry you had to see me like that,' Loki murmured as he joined Harry on the doorstep. He closed the door behind them, shutting out all the negative energy.

'It's okay,' Harry said, equally quiet. 'I understand.' And he did. He was still amazed that anybody would get that angry on his behalf; would actually get so angry over the way the Dursleys had treated him that they'd want to _kill_. Harry wasn't sure he'd ever get used to having people care about him.

Loki smiled at him softly, and the action made his entire demeanour change. Suddenly he was just a man, there to protect Harry. Harry smiled back. Maybe this wasn't a dream after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** To those of you who might think that Harry's taking this too well; he's still processing. At the moment, all he cares about is getting away from the Dursleys, and finally having them punished for what they've done to him. He's still suspicious of Loki and Tony, but Harry's always been kind and willing to believe in people before judging them. So the news hasn't fully sunk in yet, and Harry's waiting to see how Loki and Tony treat him before making up his mind. Hope that makes sense :)
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> {Dreamer}


	6. Chapter 6

The police arrived with flashing lights and were led by two black cars. Harry stood between Loki and Mr Stark, craning his neck as he tried to get a better look. When Mr Stark smirked at him, Harry blushed and looked down.

'It's alright, kiddo,' Mr Stark said, his smile softening when Harry glanced up nervously. 'It's the human condition; we all wanna stick our noses in and see what's going down.'

'It is the same on Asgard,' Loki added, drawing their attention. 'Whenever Thor returned from a successful venture, everybody wanted to stare.' He frowned. 'Or maybe it was just because it was _Thor_.'

His voice grew bitter at the end, and Harry had no idea what to say. Luckily, Mr Stark seemed used to Loki's mood swings. 'Well of course they wanna stare!' he said, waving his arms about and grinning at Loki. 'He's six-foot tall and wears a freakin' red cape! I'd look at anyone weird enough to wear that! Don't forget the giant hammer, either.'

Loki smiled softly at him, and Harry grinned to himself. Mr Stark was good at making the atmosphere feel lighter.

A man wearing a nice suit stepped out of one of the black cars, trailed by a few other men in suits, as well as the local police department in their uniforms, a few wearing fluorescent jackets because of the sudden cool night.

'Mr Stark, Mr Laufeyson,' the man Harry had first seen greeted them. He then looked at Harry and smiled before crouching down to look Harry in the eyes. 'And you must be Mr Potter?'

'Yeah,' Harry said, feeling shy at all the sudden attention.

'I'm Phil Coulson,' the man introduced himself, and held out a hand.

'Nice to meet you,' Harry said and shook the man's hand.

'Hey, no!' Mr Stark shouted and dropped to his knees. He pointed between Harry and Mr Coulson. 'This here is Agent, okay, Harry? Not Phil. Dunno why he keeps using that name, 'cause I'm pretty sure it says “Agent” on his birth certificate.'

Loki chuckled above them, and Mr Coulson looked amused, too. Harry smiled as Mr Coulson stood and said, 'So you still haven't found my birth certificate? I thought you were better than that, Mr Stark.'

Mr Stark scowled at him, but Harry could see the mirth in his eyes. 'I am,' he huffed, puffing out his chest and making Harry giggle. 'But I'm pretty sure you're an alien.'

'He's not,' Loki commented.

'Hey!' Mr Stark scowled, staring up at Loki with a pout. 'You're supposed to be on my side!'

'I am?' Loki drawled. 'My mistake.'

Mr Stark glared and turned back to Harry. 'It's _Agent._ Remember that.'

'Okay,' Harry smiled.

Mr Stark's eyes narrowed before he stood, groaning as he knees popped. 'I'm getting old,' he declared.

'You are not,' Loki muttered.

'Am,' Mr Stark pouted again.

Mr Coulson cleared his throat, and all three of them looked back at him. 'Are the Dursleys in there?' he questioned, nodding at the house.

'Yup,' Mr Stark nodded. 'Unless they did a runner when I came out here. Which, given the fact that Vernon Dursley has trouble getting out of his seat, is really unlikely.'

'Mm,' Mr Coulson hummed. He then turned and nodded at the other men wearing black suits. All of them went towards the house, the police following, and Harry felt a hand clasp his shoulder.

He glanced up to see Loki looking down at him, Mr Stark's eyes on the house. 'Let's stand aside,' Loki said.

Harry nodded and allowed himself to be led across the lawn. They stood just off to the side and looked back at the house as Mr Coulson appeared.

Uncle Vernon was led out first, his wrists handcuffed over his massive stomach. Aunt Petunia was next, and she was also wearing handcuffs, followed by Dudley, who was led across to the police cars by two officers. He was still crying, and Harry felt a bit bad for him. Not for his aunt and uncle; they'd treated him worse than a house pet for as long as he could remember, and he'd never done anything to deserve that.

But Dudley, well... he was just a kid. And Harry had learned that even the sweetest kids could have a vicious streak. Like Ron, when he'd tease Hermione and get jealous over Harry's fame. Or even Hermione, who got upset when the professors gave her the “wrong” mark. Draco Malfoy was another example of how parents' views could harm their child. Malfoy was the way he was because of his parents; Ron had told him all about Mr and Mrs Malfoy, and apparently they were worse than their son.

Harry blinked back to himself when the police cars slammed closed, leaving almost immediately. The neighbours had all come out to look and were gossiping in small groups, some pointing at Harry, Loki and Mr Stark.

'Nosey bastards,' Mr Stark muttered.

'Don't swear in front of my son,' Loki growled.

'Hey, he's eleven!' Mr Stark huffed. 'He's old enough to know what a bastard is, and to know not to swear in front of anyone else.' He looked down at Harry. 'Right, kiddo?'

'Right,' Harry nodded, earning a sigh from Loki and a grin from Mr Stark.

'See?' Mr Stark said.

'I despise you, Stark,' Loki muttered.

'He doesn't,' Mr Stark whispered loudly enough to Harry for Loki to hear, 'he loves me 'cause I'm awesome.'

Loki rolled his eyes, but stood tall when Mr Coulson appeared.

'We'll take it from here,' the suit-clad man told them. 'We collected all your evidence from the kitchen table, Mr Stark. With that alone, and their confessions, we won't need Harry to testify at any trial the Dursleys go to.'

'I refuse to allow my son to be subjected to something like that,' Loki said, his words final.

'And I agree,' Mr Coulson nodded, smiling warmly at Harry. 'You've been through enough.'

Harry just blushed and glanced down at Hedwig, who looked annoyed at still being confined to her cage. Harry wanted to let her out, but he wasn't sure where he was going. He knew that Mr Stark lived in America, and Loki had said they'd be returning to New York shortly. So where would they be going until then?

'So that's all you need from us?' Mr Stark asked.

'A few SHIELD agents are going through the house and taking photos to add to the evidence,' Mr Coulson informed them. 'We'll be working with the local police, but I'll ensure that the Dursleys pay for what they've done.'

'Good,' Mr Stark grunted.

'Oh, and Mr Stark,' Mr Coulson smiled brightly at him, 'thank Ms Potts for letting me use your other private jet. My fellow agents and I wouldn't have made it otherwise.'

Harry's eyes widened at the thought of someone owning _two_ aeroplanes, while Mr Stark frowned. 'I have two?' he said. 'Huh, never knew that.' He looked at Loki. 'Did you know that?'

'Why would I know that?' Loki demanded.

''Cause Clint still thinks that you're here to swindle me out of my money and Tower,' Mr Stark grinned.

'Your presence twenty-four hours a day isn't worth billions of dollars, Anthony,' Loki smirked. 'I'd need far more money than that.'

'See what he says to me, kid?' Mr Stark turned to Harry. 'He's a bastard- _ow_!' Loki had slapped him over the back of the head, and Harry laughed into Hedwig's cage as Mr Stark pouted and rubbed a hand through his hair.

'Feel free to leave at any time,' Mr Coulson interrupted before Loki and Mr Stark could start bickering again. 'We've got everything we need, and I'll keep you updated on everything frequently. Maybe get the kid a meal, hmm?' He was looking critically at Harry, now; taking in his skinny frame, his over-large clothes and ripped socks.

Harry blushed and looked down. He didn't like wearing constant reminders that, in the Muggle world, he was poor. He wasn't even sure if he could take his money from Gringotts and somehow use it in the Muggle world.

'Yeah, we're going shopping tomorrow,' Mr Stark declared.

'You don't have to,' Harry mumbled.

'Think nothing of it, kid,' Mr Stark shook his head. 'I have a lot of money and I love spending it on people I like. And that's you; get used to it.' With that he shook Mr Coulson's hand, thanked him again, and walked across the lawn towards an expensive car that had been parked haphazardly across the road.

'He means it,' Loki said, making Harry look up at him. 'He has more money than he could spend in ten life times, and he hasn't had many people to spend it on until recently.' He looked down at Harry. 'Let him do it; it makes him happy.'

Harry wondered if Loki was just saying that to get Harry to agree, but nodded anyway. It wasn't like he had any money of his own at the moment, and he couldn't exactly wear the same shirt and jeans for the rest of his life. He didn't think he could ever be big enough to fill out Dudley's old clothes.

Loki pressed a hand to Harry's shoulder again, and Harry once more found himself steered forward. He looked the car over, eyes wide. It looked _really_ expensive. When they reached the car, Loki paused and waved his hands about, before suddenly he was pulling Harry's trunk and broom out of... well, out of nothing.

'Wow,' Harry breathed.

Loki smiled.

'Could I ever do that?' Harry asked, looking up at him.

'Perhaps,' Loki nodded. The boot was already open and he carefully placed Harry's belongings inside. 'You're half-Jötunn, and I can already feel the magic you have. It takes a lot of training and study to be able to do what I do, but if you practice hard enough and for enough years, you should be able to.'

Harry grinned. Awesome. That'd show Malfoy.

'Also, there's no restriction on using Jötunn magic,' Loki informed him as he rounded the car.

He opened the door for Harry, who just stood there. 'Really?'

'Mm,' Loki nodded. 'The Ministry of Magic has restrictions for underage wizards because you could hurt yourself. On other realms, magic is seen as a gift, and anyone who has it can choose to start studying at whatever age they desire. They're trusted enough not to be idiotic when using magic.'

'Wow,' Harry murmured again. He could use magic during the holidays! And magic that, he gathered, was far more powerful than mortal magic. _Awesome._

Harry finally climbed into the car, and Loki shut the door behind him. Harry placed Hedwig's cage to his side as he strapped himself in, and then picked her back up and set her on his lap. Hedwig hooted and looked at Harry with sad yellow eyes, making Harry smile.

'I'll let you out soon, Hedwig,' he promised.

'Is he safe to fly around the city?' Mr Stark asked from behind the wheel.

'Yeah,' Harry nodded, ' _she's_ smart.'

'She's a familiar; of course she is,' Loki added.

'Familiar... right, whatever,' Mr Stark shrugged. 'We're heading back to New York in a few days, kiddo,' he continued, addressing Harry once more. 'We'll do some shopping, let you come to terms with what's happening, then head home. You can let your bird out when we get to the hotel.'

'Her name is Hedwig,' Loki commented.

Mr Stark rolled his eyes. ' _Hedwig_ , sorry, didn't mean to offend you.'

Harry giggled and reached through the bars to pat Hedwig, who'd puffed herself up when she realised they were talking about her. She really was a proud bird, and with good reason; Harry had never had a better friend. Ron and Hermione were great, and he loved them, but Hedwig never told Harry off, or got jealous, and she _never_ left. Hedwig was always there, including during the holidays.

'We will have to buy an owl,' Loki mused as Mr Stark started the car and pulled down the road. The neighbours all stared at them as they passed, but both Loki and Mr Stark ignored them.

'Eh... why?' Mr Stark asked.

'Technology doesn't work at Hogwarts due to the wards,' Loki explained. 'Mortal magic destroys anything electrical.'

'Well that's dumb,' Mr Stark huffed. 'Don't worry, kiddo, I'll fix that!' he promised Harry. 'We'll get you outfitted with a laptop, a StarkPad, and a StarkPhone. Only the best for Loki's boy.'

Harry had no idea what to say to that. He wondered if Mr Stark could really get technology to work at Hogwarts.

'We're still buying an owl,' Loki said decisively. 'I'd like to be able to write to Harry when he's back at school, and Hedwig won't overexert herself if we have another owl. Plus she'll have company when she's at the Tower.'

Hedwig hooted at that, looking very pleased, and Loki smirked.

'She said she wants a friend,' he informed the group.

'You talk owl now?' Mr Stark asked.

'All-Speak doesn't just apply to humanoids,' Loki said. 'It doesn't apply to animals, but Hedwig is a familiar and already very intelligent. I can understand what she means.'

Hedwig nibbled on Harry's finger, and Harry smiled. 'I think she likes you,' he told his father.

'I like her, too,' Loki replied.

Harry's smile widened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note** : Just wanted to answer a few questions I got in comments/reviews. Loki doesn't use mortal magic; his Jötunn magic cannot be detected by the Ministry of Magic, so they don't know what's going on. The Ministry can only detect mortal magic as well as that of house elves, which was why Harry was blamed for Dobby's use of magic but not Loki's.
> 
> Yes, the wards have fallen because Harry said that the Dursleys' is no longer his home. They didn't fall until Harry, Loki and Tony left. I'll be showing Dumbledore's reaction to that shortly. Also, Dumbledore wasn't aware that anything was happening because a) Loki and Tony entered the house to save, not hurt, Harry, and b) the wards didn't fall until Harry left the house for the last time. Hope that cleared that up.
> 
> Loki said that he was James Potter for 25 years; that can't be the case if Harry is 12. However, Loki didn't take the James Potter alias until he was roughly nine or ten. Also, Loki doesn't remember exactly; he was estimating.
> 
> Thanks for all your comments, I appreciate them :)
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> {Dreamer}


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Dumbledore bashing.

Within minutes of Dumbledore's instruments going silent, the aging Headmaster had apparated to Little Whinging, casting a notice-me-not charm over himself to avoid detection. He appeared at the end of Privet Drive and started walking immediately, annoyance clawing through his mind.

The tracking spells he'd personally cast over the boy had simply been wiped away, as though they'd never been there in the first place. There had been no warnings, no light whistles to tell Dumbledore that somebody was trying to cleanse Harry Potter. One second they were there, the next they weren't. A few minutes later the wards surrounding Number 4 had crumbled, disappearing as though they were never there.

Powerful magic was at work, and Dumbledore's mind filled with the names of witches and wizards who could be capable of such a feet. Lucius Malfoy was at the top of the list, only because Dumbledore had no evidence that Tom was alive and well. Without a body, the Dark Lord wouldn't have been able to enter Privet Drive, even if he'd had no plans to harm Potter upon his entrance. The Malfoy Lord was clever, and Dumbledore wouldn't put it past Lucius to have figured out where Harry lived, and what was needed to circumnavigate the wards that Dumbledore had strengthened with his own magic.

Dumbledore finally reached the Dursley's house and was brought up short by the Muggles surrounding it. There were neighbours dressed in pyjamas and comfortable clothing, either standing on their doorsteps or at the edge of the barriers that had been erected. Muggle police officers, and men and women wearing expensive Muggle suits, were crawling all over the house, some taking pictures, others bagging things, all looking grim and busy.

Dumbledore cast a simple charm over himself to change his appearance somewhat and lifted the notice-me-not charm as he approached a group of Muggles chatting with each other.

'Excuse me?' he tried, and was greeted to two older ladies turning to face him. 'I was just passing by and noticed all the people; what's happening?'

'Oh, the Dursleys- they live here- were just arrested!' one of them gushed, like it was the news of the century. For Dumbledore it certainly was.

'Arrested?' Dumbledore near-gaped. 'What ever for?'

'We don't know,' her companion said. 'Two men took the nephew- Harry, I believe his name is- with them.'

'I always thought he was such a trouble maker,' the first woman sighed. 'But he looked so small, didn't he?'

'Yes,' the second nodded along. 'It looks as though some bad things have been happening at number 4.'

Dumbledore frowned at that. A Death Eater wouldn't have bothered alerting the authorities to Harry's living situation, they would have just taken him. But who else could have discovered what truly went on in the Dursleys' household? Not one of Dumbledore's people, surely. Madam Pomfrey had already spoken to him about Harry's health, and Dumbledore had easily wiped her mind. He would have known if anyone else had figured it out.

Dumbledore stayed where he was for a few minutes, just watching, before speaking again. 'Do you know who took the boy?' he asked. The two Muggles turned to look at him again, and Dumbledore let a tired, worried smile spread across his face. 'I'm familiar with young Harry, he was quite a nice child. I'm worried for him.'

'Oh,' the first blinked, 'yes, well, we all are now, aren't we?'

'We heard talk of locks on the doors and other terrible things!' her companion said, looking quite upset over everything. 'I never truly liked the Dursleys all that much, but to think that they could be locking their nephew up!'

'It's disgusting,' the other woman nodded. 'Truly, truly terrible.'

'I'm not sure who took him, but they looked as though they could be family,' the second explained to Dumbledore. 'Two men, they were; one very tall, the other sort of short. One of them was American, I think; I heard his accent.'

'I'm telling you it was him!'

The three all looked up to see a man speaking to them, wearing a dressing gown over his jeans and jumper.

'It was Tony Stark!' the man said.

'Henry, _really_ ,' the woman beside him tisked. 'What would Tony Stark have to do with the Dursleys?'

'It _was_ him,' Henry insisted. 'I recognised him from the telly.'

'Tony Stark?' Dumbledore questioned.

The Muggles all looked surprised at that, but Dumbledore didn't let it sway him. He never had kept up on what was happening in the Muggle world, not unless it involved Tom.

'Tony Stark, owner of Stark Industries,' Henry said. 'He's a billionaire, and a super hero. He was all over the telly last summer because of that alien invasion. I swear it was him!'

The woman beside him rolled her eyes and turned back to face the house, leaving Dumbledore and the other two Muggles to themselves once more.

'It sort of looked like him,' one of the women nodded, 'but I'm sure it wasn't. What would Tony Stark want with little Harry?'

'Maybe Harry was his love child!' her companion gasped, which drew them both into fits of giggles. 'You never know, Mary,' she continued, 'I've read about that Tony Stark, and we've never heard anything about Harry's parents, now have we?'

'Vernon said they died, though,' Mary said. 'I remember years ago when they first took Harry in. He said something about an accident.'

'Well, maybe Stark only just found out,' the other woman ventured.

They fell into gossip once more, completely ignoring Dumbledore, which was fine by him. He slowly crept back until he could walk away without drawing their attention, frowning as he made his way down the street. When he was far enough away, and he was sure that he was alone, Dumbledore apparated back to Hogwarts, appearing in his office. He startled Severus, who was lounging in one of the leather seats sitting before Dumbledore's desk.

'Good evening, Headmaster,' he drawled, sounding like the evening was actually _far_ from pleasant. 'I thought you wanted to see me?'

'Yes, yes,' Dumbledore murmured, vaguely remembering needing to talk to Snape about the upcoming school year. 'There are more important things to discuss at the moment.'

Severus raised a dark brow, but didn't comment, waiting for Dumbledore to continue.

'The spells I cast on Harry Potter to keep an eye on him have been lifted.'

'Lifted?' Severus echoed.

'Yes, as though they were never there,' Dumbledore said. He was still irked about that; no warning, no tampering, _nothing_. Just there one second, gone the next. 'Whoever lifted them was very powerful, I didn't notice until they were completely gone.'

'Really?' Severus looked far too amused, given the seriousness of the situation, and Dumbledore had to hold himself back from snapping. Severus' attitude had never helped when they were discussing Harry Potter. Dumbledore didn't care for the boy all that much, true, but only because he was a tool necessary to win the war. Thinking of him as a real boy, a person with feelings, would only hurt the cause; there were millions of lives at stake. Severus constantly jumped between “we must protect him for Lily”, and “I despise him for being Potter's brat”. It was quite annoying.

'Yes, Severus,' Dumbledore sighed as he sat behind his desk. 'I just visited his aunt and uncle's house. There were Muggle police everywhere, and the Dursleys and Harry were nowhere to be found.'

'So you've lost him,' Severus stated. Dumbledore nodded. 'And what are you going to do about that?' Severus asked.

'I need to get a proper account of what happened tonight, and I need you to ask around and see if any of Voldemort's followers took him.'

Severus only flinched slightly at the name, but nodded and stood.

'Severus,' Dumbledore said before the young man could leave. Severus stopped and turned, waiting. 'Do you know a Muggle by the name of Tony Stark?'

Severus frowned slightly, still silent, before saying, 'I vaguely recall hearing the name. I think he's famous in the Muggle world for something or other. Technology, perhaps. I believe there's a line of Muggle mobile phones with his surname stamped on them.'

'Please find out all you can about him,' Dumbledore said, though they both new that it was an order, not a suggestion. Severus had grown up in the Muggle world, and still lived there during the school holidays. He was better at making his way through the Muggle world than Dumbledore would ever be.

'Very well,' Severus inclined his head. 'What does Tony Stark have to do with Harry Potter?'

'There were rumours of him being at Harry's home tonight,' Dumbledore admitted, 'and some gossip about him perhaps being Harry's father.'

Severus snorted lightly at that. 'I doubt that Lily would have ever cheated on _Potter_ ,' he sneered before leaving the office, the large wooden door slamming behind him.

Dumbledore sighed and leaned back, linking his fingers over his stomach. This was quite bothersome. Harry Potter had disappeared, and Dumbledore wasn't sure where to start looking.

The most worrying thing was the wards. They would only have fallen if Harry had denounced the Dursleys' house as his home. Which meant that Harry had gone willingly with whoever had taken him.

Dumbledore was worried. If someone had found out how the Dursleys treated Harry, then there was a good chance that Dumbledore's role in the whole affair would be discovered. He would have to make sure that his involvement was hidden, and that whoever now had Harry believed him to care for the boy's well-being. Too much depended on Harry trusting Dumbledore; the Light couldn't win the war without the boy.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki kept an eye on Harry in the rear-view mirror, eyes barely leaving his son, but Tony didn't call him on it. After the past few hours, he didn't doubt that Loki would near-stalk Harry to make sure he was okay. Tony liked the kid already; kids were pretty cool, Tony had found, and despite the life he had had, Harry seemed like an intelligent, kind little boy. He hadn't flipped out after Loki had attacked his uncle, and he'd gone along with them willingly.

Tony knew that it'd take longer for Harry to feel comfortable with the sudden changes in his life. Suddenly he had a dad, and was moving to a new country; that'd be enough to make anyone's head spin. And that wasn't adding in his sudden alien blood.

But Tony had already promised himself that he'd do his best to help Loki, and by extension, Harry. If that meant getting involved in their relationship, then he'd do it. He doubted that Loki had had much experience with kids; he'd already told Tony that he'd never had a child. The myths about him were just that, myths. Caused by Asgardians travelling to Midgard centuries ago and telling tall tales.

They finally reached the hotel thanks to JARVIS, and Loki got out of the car first, going to the boot. When he shut it his hands were empty, so Tony assumed he'd sent their stuff to wherever the hell he kept it. Tony opened the door for Harry, who climbed out and clutched Hedwig tightly.

A valet hurried towards them and Tony tossed the man his keys before leading the way into the building. It was nice, like all the hotels Tony stayed at, and Harry's eyes were wide as he looked around the lobby. Tony guessed that Harry had never stayed in a hotel before; he doubted that the Dursleys would ever take him on holidays.

Tony was still pissed off about that. God, those fucking _assholes_. He couldn't believe that anyone would treat a kid- their _family_ \- like that. Even Howard Stark hadn't been that big of a dick.

Loki was standing tall just behind Harry's right shoulder, eyes narrowed as he glanced around the lobby. Tony didn't doubt that his partner would rip apart anyone who tried to hurt Harry. He'd have to warn Clint not to mouth off; Loki's temper was rather short where Harry was concerned.

Tony got three key-cards for the room and once more led the way, taking them into the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor. Harry was completely quiet, Loki too, and Tony wasn't sure what to say to break the silence. He didn't like silence; it made his skin itch.

Thankfully they reached their floor relatively quickly, and Tony stopped just before it. 'Okay, a card for you,' he said, handing one to Loki, 'and one for you,' he finished, presenting the third to Harry.

Harry blinked, but reached out and took it. 'I get my own key?'

'Yeah,' Tony nodded. 'I think this hotel has a pool and gym; stuff like that. If you're ever bored and wanna check it out, just let me or Loki know and head down. This is to make sure you can get back into the room no matter what.'

Harry still looked really surprised, but eventually nodded and clutched the key-card closer. Tony smiled reassuringly before opening the door and ushering the other two into the room.

'Wow,' Harry breathed.

Yeah, it was pretty nice, Tony supposed; not as nice as Stark Tower, of course. JARVIS had booked the largest room they had, and it came with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms with their own bathrooms, and a main bathroom. The walls were a light cream-colour, the carpet beneath their feet a light shade of grey.

Tony hummed to himself and then clapped his hands together. 'So, this is where we'll be for a few days. Loki, why don't you show Harry his room?'

Loki nodded, giving Tony a thankful look, and then gestured for Harry to follow him. Tony assumed that the two could use some time to themselves, and then Loki would probably leave Harry alone to collect himself. Until then, Tony needed a drink.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki chose the room at the end of the small hallway for Harry; he figured that it would give him a sense of privacy. He watched as Harry gaped at how large the room was- it was bigger than the Dursleys' living room- and spin on the spot as he took it all in.

'Would you like some time alone?' Loki questioned. Harry blinked back to himself and looked at the god. 'I figured that you might like to... process, what has happened.'

'Oh, uh... yes, thank you,' Harry nodded. 'And I want to let Hedwig out,' he added.

'Very well,' Loki said, offering Harry a smile. Harry returned it immediately, and it made Loki's magic dance beneath his skin. 'I'll go check on Anthony; he tends to get into trouble whenever I turn my back.' Harry giggled, and Loki's smile grew. 'I'll come collect you for dinner. If you need us, we'll be in the living room.'

Harry nodded and Loki pulled Harry's trunk and broom from another dimension, leaving them at the foot of the bed. He the left Harry to it, shutting the door behind him despite his very magic telling him to stay with Harry and guard him. It was ridiculous, Loki knew; nothing would happen to Harry while Loki and Tony were on the same floor as him. But feelings weren't logical, Loki knew.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and walked back down the hallway, only stopping in the other room to drop off his and Tony's luggage. When he re-entered the main room, Tony was standing at the counter that cut off the kitchen from the living room, a glass of something that Loki assumed was alcoholic in his hand.

'Hey,' Tony said, smiling warmly. 'How are you doing?'

'Fine,' Loki said, even though he was far from. It would be many, many years before he could think about Harry's childhood without wanting to destroy something. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to.

'Yeah,' Tony hummed. 'How's the kid?'

'Doing rather well, all things considered,' Loki sighed. 'I know that it still hasn't fully sunk in yet; I haven't even come to terms with everything that happened.'

'It'll all work out,' Tony said, 'just takes time.'

'I know,' Loki replied.

Tony downed the rest of his drink and pushed it aside before rounding the counter. Loki immediately welcomed the hug, wrapping his arms around Tony's shoulders while the billionaire's went firmly around his waist. Loki sighed again and buried his face in Tony's neck, listening to Tony hum against him.

'You didn't tell Harry that we're together,' Tony commented. There wasn't any accusation in his tone, only mild curiosity.

'No,' Loki agreed. 'I thought that I should let him grow accustomed to all the changes in his life before telling him. And... I wasn't sure how to broach the topic.'

'Nah, I get it,' Tony nodded. 'Remember when we first got together? It took Clint catching us going at it before I told all my friends... and Pepper.'

Loki quirked a small smile as he pulled back, glancing down at the human. 'And then SHIELD discovered us the same way.'

'Yeah,' Tony laughed, 'and Thor, too! I seriously thought he was gonna throw me through a window.'

'Until you told him that you loved me,' Loki added. 'Which was the first time _I'd_ heard those words.'

Tony grinned. 'What can I say? I'm weird and have no sense of timing.'

Loki rolled his eyes but pressed a soft kiss to Tony's lips. Admitting that he'd fallen for Tony Stark, a mortal, in front of his brother hadn't been what Loki would have chosen, if he'd actually been given a choice. But he couldn't deny that he'd been thrilled to hear that Tony returned his feelings. The sex afterwards had been incredible. The hugs from Thor every other hour, not so much.

When the broke apart, Loki rested his forehead against Tony's and let out a sigh. 'He'll be fine, Lo,' Tony said. 'Kids are pretty resilient. He'll get used to it.'

'I hope so,' Loki murmured.

'You'll see,' Tony said. 'I'm always right.'

Loki chuckled, and kissed him again. They didn't break apart for a good few minutes, and when they did Loki's face was flushed and he could feel Tony's erection pressing half-hard against his hip. Loki would like nothing more than to drag Anthony to bed, but he had Harry to think of; now wasn't the time.

Tony seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because he quirked a smile and said, 'Should probably get some type of dinner, huh? Harry's probably half-starved and exhausted. I could use a nap myself.'

Loki nodded, pushing down the anger at the thought of Harry's too-skinny frame.

'What do you think Harry likes to eat?' Tony asked.

'We could just ask him,' Loki pointed out.

'True,' Tony said. 'You wanna go get him, or will I?'

'You can,' Loki said, 'I wish to change into something more comfortable. And you should get to know him better.'

'You should, too,' Tony said. 'Hey, we can play twenty questions! That's always fun. And if it leads to a fight, we can let Harry beat us; kids like that, don't they?'

Loki chuckled. 'Toddlers like that, Stark.'

'Whatever,' Tony waved a dismissive hand. 'Go get changed and I'll grab Harry. I'm thinking pizza.'

Loki just smiled and let Tony drag him towards their bedroom.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Hedwig did a few circuits of the room before landing on the windowsill, and Harry smiled as he crossed to it. The window wasn't difficult to open, and soon Hedwig had launched herself outside, white wings spread as she flew higher. Harry watched for a few minutes; Hedwig didn't go far, but Harry didn't doubt that she'd be out for a while, and probably find a rat or something to eat.

The chilly breeze cleared Harry's head a bit, and he turned to open his trunk. When he did he gasped at the photo album that was sitting atop his folded robes. He hadn't realised that he'd forgotten it in his bedroom back at Privet Drive, but it seemed that Loki had thought ahead; the album was undamaged, and had been cleaned of the dust that had gathered when it resided under Harry's floorboards.

Harry smiled and touched the album before pushing it aside. All his school books were there, as well as his cauldron, notebooks, parchment, quills, and ink. His Quidditch uniform, school robes, and the few items of clothing that he'd worn on weekends that had fit a bit better than Dudley's other hand-me-downs were all folded neatly beneath his books. Harry had to wonder if Hermione had gotten into his trunk on the train when his back was turned.

Everything was there, and Harry smiled. At least he'd be set for Hogwarts in September. Now all he needed was clothes to wear until then; pyjamas and underwear, new socks and shoes... he hoped that Mr Stark and Loki really would take him shopping.

Harry spent a few minutes flipping through his books, just to remind himself that they were all there and that, yes, he _had_ been studying magic at a school somewhere in Scotland until June. He grinned as he ran his fingers over the ink in his books, and then nearly dropped his Potions textbook when there was a knock on the door.

When nobody barged in, Harry cleared his throat and called a hesitant, 'Come in?'

It was Mr Stark, and he smiled sheepishly as he pushed the door open. 'Hey, sorry to interrupt, short stuff,' Mr Stark said, 'but we were thinking of getting some grub. You could eat, yeah?'

Harry's stomach growled, and he blushed as Mr Stark laughed.

'I'll take that as a yes,' the older man said. 'You like pizza?'

'Oh, uh... yes, pizza's fine,' Harry nodded. He'd only eaten a pizza a few times, and they'd all been at Mrs Figg's house. The Durlseys never would have fed him pizza.

'Awesome,' Mr Stark said. 'So you wanna stay in here until it comes, or wanna watch TV? I want to see what kind of shows you Brits make.'

'I can watch TV?' Harry asked in surprise. He cursed himself when Mr Stark frowned. 'I mean...'

'They never let you watch TV, huh?' Mr Stark asked.

Harry shook his head. 'Not if they were home. Sometimes they went out for dinner and left me by myself. I'd watch TV and eat whatever I wanted.' If he could get away with it, he mentally added. More than once Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia had realised that he'd stolen food and made him skip meals for a day or two as punishment.

Mr Stark's frown darkened before disappearing completely, and then he was smiling again. 'TV it is!' he said and gestured for Harry to follow him. 'What do you like on your pizza? Meat? Vegetables? Chicken? Loki likes chicken and olives with pesto sauce, but I'm meat lovers all the way. Sometimes supreme, for something different.'

'I don't mind,' Harry said when Mr Stark finally paused. He couldn't remember the toppings on the few slices of pizza he'd eaten in the past.

'One of everything it is,' Mr Stark said.

'What?' Harry gaped, looking up at him. 'N-No, I didn't mean-'

'He always orders too much food,' Loki interrupted as Harry and Mr Stark passed the other bedroom. 'He likes cold pizza.'

'It's awesome,' Mr Stark huffed. 'Besides, pizza fills you up, and then an hour later you want more. So the more the merrier.'

'I'm sure that only applies to people, Stark,' Loki said.

Mr Stark poked his tongue out. 'Doesn't.' Loki chuckled. Mr Stark pulled his mobile phone out as he led Harry and Loki back into the main room. It was sleeker than any mobile phone Harry had seen in the past, and had “Stark” written on the back in silver. 'Hey, JARVIS,' Mr Stark said into his mobile, 'find the best pizza place in London and order one of everything on their menu. Oh, and include soft drinks, garlic bread, whatever sides they have. And get two of the pizza Loki likes.' He glanced at Loki and Harry. 'Anything else?'

Both shook their heads, and Mr Stark told JARVIS- whoever that was- to tip extra if it guaranteed a speedy delivery. When he was done he tossed his phone onto the sofa and sat himself. 'Let's see what's on TV!'

Loki sat on the sofa beside Mr Stark, and Harry took one of the two armchairs. It was really comfy and Harry was so short that his feet only just touched the ground. He sank back into it and smiled as the cushions swallowed him.

Mr Stark started flicking through the channels on the large flat-screen TV hanging from the wall opposite, apparently not finding anything he liked. Loki was silent by his side, eyes on the TV, but Harry had the feeling that Loki was keeping an eye on him.

It was weird, but nice, Harry thought. He wondered if he should be angry; his dad had been out there all this time, and had only come back after eleven years. He'd also lied to Lily the entire time they knew each other; he'd lied to everyone.

But Harry couldn't bring himself to hate Loki. He'd had good reasons for lying, and for doing what he'd done. He hadn't known where Harry was, and as soon as he found out he'd come to rescue Harry and make the Dursleys pay. Nobody had ever done this much for Harry, and he'd only known Loki for a few hours.

Besides, like Harry had already told Loki; anything was better than living with the Dursleys. Loki hadn't hurt him, or yelled at him, and he'd already promised that Harry could go back to Hogwarts. Harry had his own room at the hotel- they hadn't made him sleep on the floor- and Mr Stark was ordering enough pizza to feed all of Gryffindor. So far Loki was a much better guardian than the Dursleys had ever been.


	8. Chapter 8

'What are you smiling about, kiddo?' Mr Stark's voice brought Harry back to the present, and his grin widened. 'I don't like it,' Mr Stark frowned, 'he's planning something, Lo. Reckon he's gonna tie me up in my sleep and make off with all my money.'

Loki smirked. 'I promise that I'll protect you, Anthony.'

'Sure you will,' Mr Stark huffed. 'You and Harry will work together and take everything. I see what's going on.'

'You're an idiot,' Loki muttered.

'Then it's a good thing I'm so pretty,' Mr Stark said, batting his eyelashes at Loki.

Harry giggled, and it made both adults smile.

'So, kiddo,' Mr Stark cleared his throat, eyes on Harry once more. 'I figured we should all get to know each other better. How do you feel about a game of twenty questions?'

Harry blinked. 'I... don't know what that is,' he admitted.

'Oh my God!' Mr Stark groaned. 'Next you'll tell me that you've never seen Star Trek!'

Harry stared at him.

Mr Stark stared right back, surprise written all over his face.

'Stark takes Star Trek very seriously,' Loki commented.

'Damn right I do!' Mr Stark near-shouted. 'Okay, as soon as we get back to New York, we're having a Star Trek marathon. Original series, Next Generation, _and_ the movies.'

'If Harry wants to watch Star Trek,' Loki corrected.

'Whatever,' Mr Stark flapped a dismissive hand, making Harry laugh again. 'So, twenty questions,' Mr Stark continued. 'Basically we just ask each other questions; pretty standard stuff. Or we could just blurt out crap about ourselves. Like my favourite colour is red, and Loki's is green.'

'I never said that my favourite colour is green,' Loki frowned at Mr Stark.

The other man smirked. 'Lo, half of your closet is green. _More than half_ , actually. And your armour.'

'Armour?' Harry perked up at the word.

'All the gods wear armour,' Mr Stark explained, 'I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen Thor in normal clothing.'

'The Æsir are a warrior race,' Loki told Harry, 'and armour is something taken very seriously. When a warrior comes to age they visit the local blacksmith and have their armour made to their specifications. In mine and Thor's cases, the blacksmith came to us because we're princes.'

'Can... do you have your armour here?' Harry asked. He'd never seen any photos of Thor, he'd only known about him because of Dudley and his friends. He wondered what Asgardian armour looked like.

'I always have it with me,' Loki said and stood. He was suddenly enveloped in gold light, which faded to green before disappearing completely. He was clad in armour of green, gold and black, his trousers leather, boots going almost to his knees, and gold metal wrapped around his arms. The last piece of armour to appear was a heavy-looking gold helmet that had two large, curled horns.

Harry gaped as he looked over the long leather coat and various pieces that made up Loki's armour. There were no buckles of ropes to be seen, and Harry wondered how you actually put the thing on and took it off. Though, he supposed, Loki had magic; it was clear that he could summon things at will.

'Wow,' he finally breathed.

Mr Stark was snickering beside Loki, which made the god scowl. 'Stark, if you say _anything_ about my helmet-'

'I didn't say a word!' Mr Stark interrupted, still grinning.

'I know what you're thinking,' Loki growled.

'No you don't,' Mr Stark replied.

Loki rolled his eyes and was covered in gold and green light again. When it disappeared he was wearing pyjama bottoms and a shirt that had AC/DC written across it. Harry thought that that might be a band.

'You'll have armour, one day,' Loki informed Harry.

'Really?' Harry and Mr Stark asked at the same time.

Loki nodded. 'It's a right of passage on Asgard. As a prince, you'll be seen as a warrior of Asgard, even if you never live there or fight for the realm.'

'Will I ever go to Asgard?' Harry asked.

The temperature suddenly dropped, and Harry shivered. Mr Stark sat forward, staring at Loki, who was glaring at the wall over Harry's shoulder.

'No,' the god said, 'you'll never set foot in Asgard as long as I still live.'

With that he got up and stalked across the room, disappearing into the bedroom that Harry could just see from where he was sitting. Mr Stark sighed and glanced at Harry.

'I'm sorry,' Harry mumbled.

'It's alright, kiddo; not your fault,' Mr Stark told him. 'Asgard's a... touchy subject with Loki. A lot's happened over the past few years, and it's still hitting Loki hard. It's got nothing to do with you, and believe me; Loki's _not_ angry at you.'

'What happened?' Harry asked.

'Ah, not my story to tell,' Mr Stark said, looking apologetic. 'Loki will tell you, in time. Just go easy on him. He'll have no problem talking to you about Asgard in general, but his childhood and the way people view him... well, try and avoid those subjects.'

Harry nodded. He didn't want to upset Loki. The god had been really nice to him, and cared about him. Plus, he was Harry's _father_. Harry decided to think more in the future before opening his mouth.

The phone on the coffee table rang, interrupting their conversation. Mr Stark grabbed it and said, 'Hello? Yeah, good. Send him up.' He hung up and told Harry, 'Pizza's here. You get Loki, I'll grab the pizza.'

Harry nodded again and slipped off the armchair. Mr Stark made his way towards the door and slipped out, leaving Harry alone in the hotel room with Loki. Harry wet his lips before drawing on his Gryffindor courage. Mr Stark had said that Loki wasn't angry at him, and he hadn't given Harry a reason to think that he'd lie.

With that knowledge firmly in his head, Harry went to Loki's bedroom and knocked on the partially closed door.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki hated that even the mere mention of Asgard could still make rage sear through his veins. The thought of Harry going there, of being sneered at for being Loki's son, being used by the All-Father when he was old enough to be used... it made Loki want to destroy. He didn't think that Anthony would be too happy if he punched holes in the hotel walls, though, so sat on the large bed and grit his teeth. Fingers curled into fists, Loki took deep breaths through his nose, eyes closed as he tried to calm himself. He didn't want Harry to fear him; he wanted Harry to love him, and come to him when he had problems. That couldn't be accomplished if Loki kept snapping and scaring the poor boy.

Loki was alone for maybe a minute or two before there was a soft knock on the door. 'Go away, Stark,' he growled.

'It's Harry.'

Loki opened his eyes to see Harry peering into the room, a nervous look on his face. 'Oh,' Loki breathed. 'How can I help you?'

'Uh, the pizza's here, and Mr Stark said to get you,' Harry said.

Loki snorted at the “Mr Stark”. Tony would huff when he heard Harry addressing him as such.

'Are you okay?' Harry asked. Loki sighed, and the boy added, 'I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault,' Loki promised. 'There's... a lot of history, between Asgard and myself. I lived there for over a thousand years.'

Harry's mouth dropped open. 'You're a thousand years old?'

'1049 in the way Midgardians count years,' Loki said.

Harry continued to stare at him, and Loki smiled.

'Anthony wore a similar look when I told him.'

'Wow,' Harry breathed. 'I know that wizards live longer, but Ron said that they only live to maybe 200.'

'Yes, the life-span of wizards and witches is 200 years on average,' Loki nodded. 'Midgardians have the shortest life-span of all the realms. Even the Dwarves live well into their 300s.'

Harry just stared, and Loki smiled.

'You'll live longer,' he told the boy, 'you're half-Jötunn. And I don't doubt that the All-Father will present you with a Golden Apple when you reach maturity. You're part of the Royal family; it's customary.'

'Golden Apple?' Harry questioned. He moved further in the room, but didn't get too close to Loki, perhaps fearing that Loki was still angry.

'Iðunn's Garden grows the Golden Apples which give long-life to all the Æsir, and anyone else who proves themselves worthy,' Loki explained. 'It's why the Æsir are considered gods amongst the realms. The Jötnar can live anywhere between 1800 and 2000 years depending on their diet and magic. The Elves of Álfheimr live much longer, but still have shorter lives than the Æsir. However, a lot of Elves are known for stealing Apples if they aren't gifted with them. Most races are, however, to keep up relations between the realms. If not, they usually have their own sources of near-immortality.'

Harry was quiet as he absorbed all of that information. Loki would have to school the boy on the different realms; it wouldn't do for a Prince of both Asgard and Jötunheimr to not know this information.

Finally, the boy asked, 'So how long will I live? If I don't eat an Apple, I mean.'

'With your mortal magic and Jötunn magic,' Loki mused, 'probably between 400 and 800 years.'

Harry gaped. 'Wow.'

'Not to worry,' Loki said, 'you _will_ get an Apple.'

And Anthony, too. It was something that Loki wanted to discuss with his mother. Odin would no doubt say no, just because it was something that Loki wanted; because Anthony was _his_. If Odin refused, though, Loki would just steal an Apple. It was worth it to give Anthony a longer life.

Harry was still lost in thought, and Loki cleared his throat, startling the wizard. 'You should eat,' Loki said, and stood when Harry nodded. 'I apologise for my outburst,' Loki said as they walked.

'It's okay,' Harry said. 'I understand.'

The boy was far too forgiving, Loki thought. He wondered where he'd learned that. Lily had always been a very forgiving person. Harry must get it from her, because Loki was _far_ from forgiving.

'Hey,' Tony said when they entered the living room. Pizza boxes were stacked on the coffee table, as well as garlic bread, what looked like chicken nuggets, bottles of soda and cups. 'Grab a box and start eating.'

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Harry was slightly dumbfounded when Mr Stark handed him an entire pizza box. He wasn't sure he could eat the whole thing, but his stomach was churning, so he didn't say anything as he sat on the sofa. Mr Stark sat at the other end and Loki took one of the armchairs, Mr Stark passing him a box.

When the billionaire poured Harry a cup of soda, he said, 'Thank you, Mr Stark,' and earned a strangled noise from the man, a laugh from Loki.

'Jesus, kid,' Mr Stark said, 'call me Tony, okay? Mr Stark's what the public and all my business associates call me. And I hate them. So it's Tony, yeah?'

'O-Okay,' Harry stuttered. He'd never called an adult by their first name, except for Loki. But it seemed weird to call him Mr Laufeyson; he _was_ Harry's father, after all.

'What are your favourite subjects?' Loki questioned as they all got comfortable.

Harry blinked over the top of a slice of pizza. 'Oh, uh... Defence Against the Dark Arts.'

'What the hell is that?' Tony demanded through a mouthful of pizza, making Harry laugh and Loki roll his eyes.

' _Defence against the dark arts_ , obviously,' Loki said. 'Didn't you listen?'

'What the hell are Dark Arts, though?' Tony asked. 'Like, dark magic?'

'Exactly,' Loki said. 'Magic at its purest form can be considered good, because it's an energy. But when mortals twist it to fit their own dark needs, _it_ becomes dark. Dark magic doesn't necessarily mean evil, but most is because those who practice it use it for their own gain.'

'Dark magic isn't evil?' Harry asked. He hadn't heard that opinion before. Ron and Dumbledore and... well, everyone, said that dark magic was bad.

'Of course not,' Loki said, frowning at Harry. 'Just like night isn't any worse than day because it's darker, or sharks aren't any worse than dolphins simply because the sometimes eat humans. Dark magic is still magic, just used a different way. If you choose to use that dark magic for evil intentions, _then_ it becomes bad.'

'So, it'd be like using my suit to take out my business rivals?' Tony piped in. 'I mean, my suit's a weapon, but it's a good weapon because I use it to take down bad guys instead of for my own purposes.'

'Exactly,' Loki nodded. 'Magic, whether light or dark, is the same. It's your choices that matter.'

Huh. Harry had never heard it explained that way. He just assumed that the Dark Arts were bad because they were taught to defend themselves against it, and because everyone said that dark wizards were bad. But maybe Voldemort was bad because of his views, and because he murdered people, not because he used dark magic.

'It's like light creatures and dark creatures,' Loki continued. 'Unicorns are light creatures, and werewolves are dark creatures. That doesn't necessarily make werewolves evil, just dangerous.'

'Unicorns and werewolves,' Tony snorted. 'The magic world is fucked up.' He yelped when he was suddenly zapped with a bolt of green magic, and fell off the couch, barely managing to keep a hold of his pizza box. 'Loki!'

'I told you not to swear in front of Harry,' Loki said, tone pleasant.

'I've been swearing since I was nine,' Tony growled and got to his feet, 'it'll take some time to learn to sensor myself, alright?'

Loki just smiled innocently, and Tony huffed as he re-took his seat. Tony mumbled something under his breath, and Harry was sure it was a cuss but he couldn't hear what, so Loki didn't zap him again.

Loki focused back on Harry, who had quickly worked his way through once slice of pizza and was starting on another. It had meat and vegetables on it, and some type of green sauce; it was delicious. 'What house are you in?' Loki asked.

'Gryffindor,' Harry said.

'Interesting,' Loki mused.

'Weren't you and Mum in Gryffindor?' Harry asked.

Loki's eyes flickered at the mention of Lily, but he inclined his head. 'The Potters were all in Gryffindor. There were tapestries dating back hundred of years, right to when Hogwarts was first founded. Of course, they went under different names back then, and eventually became Potters. The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I managed to talk it into placing me in Gryffindor. It would have been odd if James Potter had been a Snake.'

'Oh,' Harry said, 'the Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, too.'

Loki smiled. 'It seems that we have more in common than I first believed, then.'

'The Hat said Slytherin would help me on the way to greatness,' Harry admitted, 'but when I got on the train everyone told me that only dark wizards went to Slytherin. So I begged to be put in Gryffindor.'

Loki sighed. 'Is that idiotic belief still circulating Hogwarts? The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor has always been stupid. I'll admit that I acted like I cared when I was James Potter, but really. A house doesn't make a wizard or witch evil.'

'My friend Ron told me that all the bad sorts came out of Slytherin,' Harry said, 'like Malfoy.'

Loki frowned at that. 'Malfoy?'

'Draco Malfoy,' Harry elaborated. 'He's in my year at Hogwarts, and a Slytherin. He's a bully.'

'Is he Lucius Malfoy's heir?' Loki asked. 'Lucius was a few years ahead of my at Hogwarts, and I recall his wife giving birth to the Malfoy heir a few months before you were born.'

'I don't know his parents' names,' Harry said. 'But he's blonde and has pale eyes, really snobby and... well, he's just a big prat.'

Tony snorted at that but didn't say anything, instead stuffing more pizza into his mouth.

'Sounds like a carbon copy of Lucius,' Loki mused. 'He was a very intelligent man, and cunning, too. We would have gotten along well if I hadn't been pretending to be a good little lion.'

Harry wasn't sure what to say to that, so just ate more pizza.

'Can I butt in?' Tony asked.

'You already have,' Loki commented.

Tony poked his tongue out and then said, 'What the hell are Gryffindor and Slytherin? Sound like weird magical animals.'

'They're houses at Hogwarts,' Harry said, eager to talk about his school. Tony looked interested, and Loki did, too, even though it was obvious that he knew all of this. 'Gryffindor are the lions, Slytherin the snakes, Ravenclaw the eagles, and Hufflepuff the badgers. Where we eat, sleep, and what classes we have is based on what house we're sorted into when we start our first year. Oh, and Quidditch is a big part of it.'

'Quidditch?' Tony frowned.

'The magical sport,' Loki said. He quickly explained the rules to Tony, who looked more interested in flying brooms than the actual game.

'I'm the Seeker on the Gryffindor team,' Harry said when Loki was done.

Loki frowned. 'Didn't you just finish your first year?'

Harry nodded and said, 'First years never make the house team, I know. But Malfoy took my friend's Rememberall and I got it back. He threw it from really high up and I dived to get it. Professor McGonagall saw me and put me on the team. I've won every game I've played in.'

He'd always been proud of his skills as a Quidditch player. It was a way to prove that he was good even without his famous name; that he _could_ accomplish things on his own. And... well, he'd been told that James Potter was a fantastic Quidditch player, too, and it had made Harry feel closer to his dad.

'I didn't get picked until my third year,' Loki mused. 'I was a Chaser at first, and then moved onto Seeker in my seventh year.'

'I'm the younger Seeker in a century,' Harry said, and Loki chuckled.

'I'll have to come and see some of your games,' he said.

Harry grinned at that. He'd always imagined what it would be like, having his parents read over his homework, make him dinner, and watch him play Quidditch. And now he had that; Loki was right there, offering everything that Harry had always dreamed about.

'I'll come,' Tony spoke up, 'but I may or may not try to steal a broom; fair warning.'

'We'll have to sort out your arc reactor before you set foot in Hogwarts or Diagon Alley,' Loki told the Muggle. 'One stray spell, or a ward too strong, will make it explode.'

Tony pouted.

'I'm sure we'll figure out something together,' Loki said. 'You can scan Harry; his magic should register without him having to use it. Isolate that energy and I should be able to make a spell to protect your reactor.'

'And then Harry can have a phone and laptop,' Tony grinned. 'Seriously, kiddo, wouldn't it be easier to call Loki than write him a letter and send it by owl?'

'I suppose so,' Harry said. He'd never had a phone before. But if Tony could do it, then Hermione could stay in contact with her parents, too. And any other Muggle-born student who wanted to phone home.

'I could totally branch out into the magic world,' Tony said, as though he was following Harry's train of thought. 'Bring them technology and I make a few more billion dollars.'

'And help many children keep in contact with their relatives,' Loki added.

'Yeah, that too,' Tony shrugged. 'Ooh, chicken.' He stole a piece of Loki's pizza, and Harry was sure that Loki was going to zap him again. Instead the man smiled indulgently and Tony grinned at him.

Harry went back to his own pizza, keeping his thoughts to himself. He'd always been a good judge of character- he had to be when one wrong word at the Dursleys would get him locked in his cupboard- but he didn't want to say anything if it wasn't true. If it _was_ true, then he supposed that Loki and Tony would tell him in time.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry couldn't sleep. He'd felt tired after the day's events, and after eating almost an entire pizza to himself plus garlic bread and chicken, but he'd laid in bed for hours afterwards, tossing and turning. Hedwig hadn't returned yet, so Harry couldn't even distract himself with petting her. He thought about finally getting started on his summer homework, but decided to do that when he, Loki and Tony got to New York. He wanted to get settled in first before he started his homework.

The alarm clock on Harry's bedside table read 2:56am, and Harry figured that he might as well get up. Tea always helped him sleep, so he pulled his socks back on as well as his plaid shirt. Loki had changed his jeans into pyjama bottoms, and Harry had slept in those and his t-shirt. Both Tony and Loki had promised to take him shopping the next day- which Harry supposed was _today_.

Harry walked through the dark hotel room. He'd been sent to bed by Loki, Tony giving a wave as Loki followed Harry to his bedroom. He hadn't tucked Harry in but had said a soft goodnight, which Harry had returned. It had made Harry's chest flutter; his _dad_ was saying _goodnight_. It'd be a while before Harry got used to that, the wizard thought.

Harry was halfway towards the kitchen when he realised that he wasn't alone, and jumped when he spotted Tony sitting at the kitchen table, illuminated by what Harry had learned was an arc reactor.

'Mr Stark!' he gasped in surprise.

Tony laughed. 'It's Tony, remember?'

'Oh, yeah... sorry,' Harry said.

'No worries, kiddo,' Tony brushed it aside. 'Couldn't sleep, huh?'

'No,' Harry confirmed.

'Need anything?'

'I was going to make tea,' Harry said.

'Ah,' Tony wrinkled his nose. 'Loki says I can't make tea, so have at it.'

Harry just nodded and went about making said tea. He found a tin of tea bags in one of the cupboards, as well as sugar and milk. Once the electric kettle had boiled and Harry had his tea, he sat near Tony at the table, keeping a chair between them.

'How are you handling everything?' Tony asked over a mug of what looked like coffee.

'Okay, I guess,' Harry said. He wasn't sure how to explain it, really. He liked Loki and didn't blame him for what had happened, but it was still a lot to take in.

'You'll be fine in a few weeks,' Tony said. 'I've been through a few life changing events, and soon enough you come to terms with everything. Right now you're just trying to keep your head above water.'

'Yeah,' Harry nodded.

'You okay with moving in with me and Loki?' Tony asked. 'And my friends. I probably should have mentioned that.'

'I'm fine with it,' Harry shrugged, 'like I've said before; anything's better than the Dursleys.' Tony snorted at that. After about a minute of silence, Harry asked, 'Friends?'

Tony nodded. 'The rest of the Avengers; Natasha, Clint, Steve, Bruce, and Loki's brother, Thor. Sometimes they go out on separate missions, and Bruce has his own apartment in Manhattan that Steve sometimes stays at. And Thor returns to Asgard a lot for his Prince duties, or goes and visits his girlfriend in New Mexico. Otherwise they tend to hang around. They all have their own floors, and everyone meets up on Steve's floor at least once or twice a month for movie night and pizza.'

That sounded like a Friday night in Gryffindor Tower, Harry thought. Lee Jordan and the Weasley twins always smuggled food and drinks from the kitchen, and all the Gryffindors gathered to eat and drink together before the Prefects sent the younger students to bed. Harry had been shocked the first time he'd been invited and sat between Ron and Hermione, fellow Gryffindors surrounding him and asking about Quidditch and his studies.

'Don't have many friends, huh?' Tony's voice brought Harry out of his thoughts.

Shaking his head, Harry said, 'Not until I went to Hogwarts. I have two best friends there; Ron and Hermione.'

'That's good,' Tony smiled at him. 'I'm still getting used to having friends myself.'

That made Harry frown. Tony seemed like a really nice guy, and he was funny and generous; why wouldn't he have friends?

Tony seemed to know what Harry was thinking, because he offered the wizard a rueful smile. 'I'm rich and brilliant,' he shrugged. 'I graduated high school at fourteen, MIT at seventeen, and became CEO of a multi-million dollar company at twenty-one. In a few years I turned it into a multi-billion dollar company with my weapons and technology. People only want to be my friend for money, fame, or business deals. Not for me.'

'That sounds familiar,' Harry commented. Tony raised his eyebrows. 'I'm, ah... famous, in the wizarding world,' Harry admitted, blushing as he looked down at his mug. 'Because I defeated Voldemort, every wizard and witch in Wizarding Britain knows my name. At Hogwarts students stare at me, and some try to be nice to me to get money. Or they're nice to me so they can brag that they're Harry Potter's best friend.'

Ron had done it sometimes, but Harry figured that he didn't mean to. Ron was the youngest brother of six and always got hand-me-downs, or was overlooked because one of his brothers had accomplished it first. But, finally, he had something that they didn't; he was Harry Potter's best friend and had helped Harry stop Voldemort and Quirrell. None of his brothers could say that.

'Famous, huh?' Tony mused. 'Loki's told me a bit about this Voldie dude, but we were more concerned with getting you away from your relatives.'

Harry nodded. 'Voldemort killed my mum. I don't know why he wanted to kill me. Dumbledore just said that he feared that I'd bring about his downfall. I don't see how a baby could manage that.'

'Magic,' Tony shrugged, 'it's weird. I just accept whatever the hell Loki does.'

Harry smiled at him and sipped his tea. 'You two seem close,' he commented after a while.

'Who, me and Loki?' Tony asked. Harry nodded. 'Yeah, well... we have a fair bit in common, you know. And he's brilliant.'

'Okay,' was all Harry said.

Tony eyed him over his own mug. 'What are you getting at, kiddo?'

'Nothing,' Harry said, an innocent smile tugging at his lips.

'Freakin' kids,' Tony muttered. 'You know, don't you?'

'About...?'

'You little shit,' Tony laughed. 'Wait, don't tell Loki I swore in front of you,' he ordered, waggling a finger at Harry.

'I won't,' Harry promised.

'So, uh... well, I guess you know that me and Loki are... together,' Tony said.

'I guessed,' Harry shrugged. 'I'm good at reading people. I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong, or in case I made you and Loki mad.'

'Seriously, kiddo, you can say anything you want to either of us, okay?' Tony said. 'Loki's first priority is making sure you're safe and happy. You might piss him off, but he'll never stay mad at you, and he'll never take his frustration out on you. You'll always have somewhere comfy to sleep, good clothes, and enough food to feed a small army. Loki's _nothing_ like the Dursleys.'

Harry blinked rapidly at Tony, who scowled until Harry nodded. On some level Harry knew that Tony was right; Loki clearly wasn't like Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia. But ten years of having to watch his mouth, and of having been starved and locked away when he did something wrong, had ingrained a sense of self-preservation in Harry that was hard to shake. Even at Hogwarts he was half-terrified that one wrong move would have him sent back to the Dursleys or locked up somewhere.

'I can see that it's not _quite_ sinking in,' Tony commented, 'but that's understandable. You'll get there, eventually.'

Harry just nodded again and went back to his tea.

After a few minutes of silence, Tony asked him about the magical world, and Harry perked up as he started listing all the fascinating things that he'd learned. Tony looked really intrigued, and eventually pulled out his tablet- which Harry had learned was a StarkPad- to take notes.

That was how Loki found them; the two bent over Tony's tablet as Harry drew a rough picture of what a dragon was. Harry had never seen one in person, but the copy of _Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them _that he and Ron had borrowed from the library had depicted them in great detail.

'It's almost five am,' Loki scowled, making both of them jump.

'Jesus, Lo, warn a guy!' Tony snapped.

Loki just glared at him.

'Hey, I didn't wake the kid up,' Tony said. 'I was drinking coffee and he wandered in.'

'I couldn't sleep,' Harry admitted. His words were immediately followed by a yawn. He and Tony had been yawning a lot over the past hour, the day's events finally catching up to them. But both had been too engrossed in learning more about each other's worlds; Tony about magic, and Harry about Muggle science.

'You're obviously exhausted,' Loki said, 'now, go to bed.'

Harry knew there was no point in fighting; Loki would clearly get his way. Besides, he _was_ tired.

'Okay,' he said and slid the StarkPad back to Tony.

'Keep it,' Tony said, pushing it back towards Harry. 'Just don't blow it up, okay?'

'I can't-' Harry began, but the genius interrupted.

'I've got about forty of those lying around the Tower, kid,' Tony said. 'Keep it, yeah? Loki and I will work on making it magic proof when we get home.'

Harry looked at Loki, who sighed and nodded. Clutching the tablet to his chest, Harry let Loki lead him back to his bedroom.

'Honestly, between the three of us, the Tower will never rest,' Loki commented.

'M'sorry,' Harry murmured through another yawn.

'It's fine, Harry,' Loki said. 'Tony and I both suffer from insomnia, as do a lot of the other inhabitants of the Tower. If you ever find yourself awake at odd hours of the night or morning, JARVIS should be able to direct you towards some company.'

Tony had told him a bit about JARVIS, and Harry was looking forward to meeting the AI; he sounded fascinating.

'I'll wake you at ten tomorrow for a late breakfast,' Loki said when they reached Harry's room. Harry nodded and placed his new tablet on the bedside table before climbing into bed. 'Try to get some sleep,' Loki said.

'Okay,' Harry replied. He took his glasses off and snuggled down. 'Goodnight, Loki.'

Loki smiled softly. 'Goodnight, Harry.' Harry fell asleep to the sound of Loki carefully closing his bedroom door.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'HARRY!'

Harry jolted up, blankets pooling around his waist and one hand going to his face. He was sure that when he looked up he'd see Uncle Vernon glaring down at him, a mop in one hand and a pudgy finger pointing towards the bathroom. But, no, they'd locked him in his room because of Dobby, and Harry was never going back to Hogwarts, and Ron and Hermione would never-

Wait.

Harry blinked rapidly and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table. When he slipped them on, the hotel room that Mr Stark and Loki had taken him to swam into view. Mr Stark- no, _Tony_ \- was standing at the end of the bed, his shirt askew and hair all over the place.

'Finally!' Tony groaned. 'Your bird's flapping around the place and bit me when I tried to touch him!'

'Her,' Harry mumbled.

Tony frowned. 'Him, her, _whatever._ Go get her!'

Harry nodded and quickly slid out of bed. He hoped that Hedwig hadn't caused too much trouble; Loki and Tony had been so nice to him so far, he didn't want that to change. When he entered the main room it was to find Loki sitting at the table, legs crossed, sipping what looked like a cup of tea. Hedwig was perched on his shoulder, but Loki made no move to take the roll of parchment that was tied to her leg.

'Honestly, Stark,' Loki sighed when he spotted them both, 'you're acting like you've never seen an owl before.'

'I have on, like, the _internet_!' Tony huffed. 'Where the hell would I have seen an owl in person? Not like my old man ever took me to the zoo.'

Loki huffed a laugh, making Tony's scowl darken.

'Sorry about her,' Harry murmured as he approached his father and Hedwig.

'The letter is for you,' Loki stated, 'and Tony tried to take it. It's understandable that your familiar wouldn't like that.'

Harry gave the god a brief smile before reaching for the letter. Hedwig stretched her leg out and let Harry take it, then hopped briefly to settle on Loki's other shoulder. Loki tore a piece off of his toast and offered it to Hedwig, holding it there as she nipped at the bread.

Harry smiled at the sight before unrolling the parchment;

  
  


_Harry,_

  
  


_If you don't answer this letter, me and the twins are coming to get you. I wrote to Hermione and she said that you haven't answered any of her letters, either, and she's sent you a dozen since I tried to tephelone you. I warned her about that, mate, and she said that your family probably wouldn't be too pleased if I tried again._

_Send Hedwig back either way; if she doesn't have a letter, me, Fred and George will come to your place. If everything's alright, let us know._

  
  


_Ron_

  
  


Harry grinned when he read the word “tephelone”. Honestly, Ron could memorise the members of the Chudley Cannons and their stats, but couldn't remember the word _telephone_?

'A friend of yours?' Loki queried, having watched Harry read the letter.

'Yeah,' Harry nodded. 'Ron Weasley. He's one of my best friends.'

'Weasley,' Loki mused, as though tasting the name. 'Would he be one of Arthur Weasley's sons?'

Harry blinked as he looked up at him. 'Um... I dunno, Ron never told me his father's name. He's got five brothers and a sister.'

'I remember Arthur; he was a few years ahead of me at Hogwarts,' Loki said. 'By the time the war started he had five sons. I think his sixth was born a few months before you were.'

'That'd be Ron, yeah,' Harry said. He walked around the table and took a seat at the end, looking at the assortment of breakfast foods that Loki and Tony must have ordered.

'Help yourself,' Loki said when he realised that Harry was just going to sit there, staring.

Harry blushed. 'Thank you,' he murmured and reached for the eggs, toast, and bacon. It all looked delicious, and Harry wasted no time in digging in. He smiled when Loki poured him a glass of orange juice.

'Honestly,' Loki sighed and stood suddenly, Hedwig hooting in indignation at the sudden movement. 'Sorry, my dear,' Loki told the bird, and scratched her belly as he walked towards the kitchen.

Harry looked up to see that Tony had slumped over the bar, a cup clutched loosely in one hand.

'Anthony, if you're going to sleep the morning away, you might as well go back to bed,' Loki told the other man, who groaned.

'Nah, 'm up,' he mumbled, still face-down. 'Just give me a minute.'

'This is what happens when you drink too much coffee and stay up all night,' Loki said.

'I don't usually have to get up,' Tony sighed. He sat up, though, and blinked owlishly, making Harry giggle.

Loki smiled and said, 'Harry, why don't you write back to your friend and then finish breakfast. We really must get you some new clothes.'

Harry nodded and went back to his room to get some parchment and ink. Tony looked mildly interested in the old-fashioned writing instruments, and he and Loki joined Harry as the wizard quickly scribbled out a reply;

  
  


_Ron,_

  
  


_Don't worry, I'm fine. My uncle was furious after the phone call, and something else happened. I was visited by something called a House Elf, and he said that he was stopping my letters because he didn't want me to return to Hogwarts. Apparently something really bad is about to happen, but I'll explain in more detail later._

_Something really, really big happened! I'm not sure if I should tell you in letter- I'd much rather do it face-to-face- but I'm soon moving to New York and I don't think Hedwig could make such a long trip. I'll soon have access to a telephone and I'll write Hermione a letter so she can contact me the Muggle way._

_Okay, I suppose I'll tell you the very brief version of what happened. It turns out that my father, James Potter, isn't actually James Potter, and he didn't die that night with my mother. His real name is Loki Laufeyson and he's from Asgard! It's another realm that's full of magic and gods! Like, old Norse Gods, the stuff of Muggle myths and I'm sure a few magical myths, too. Loki explained everything to me when he and his partner came to get me from the Dursleys. He said that I never have to go back!_

_I actually have a father, Ron, and one that loves me! I'm still trying to absorb everything, but so far it's been fantastic. They're going to buy me new clothes and I get to eat whatever I want. Also, Loki said that I can definitely return to Hogwarts._

_Please don't write back, I'll most likely be in America by then. I'm hoping that Hedwig returns before we leave, but I don't think Loki would make me leave her behind. He seems to like her a lot. I'll try and think of another way to contact you. If I can't, I'll relay information through Hermione._

_I'll write Hermione soon. Thanks for your concern, and tell the twins that I appreciate their plan to break me out of the Durlseys'. Hopefully I'll talk to you soon._

  
  


_Harry_

  
  


Harry read over the letter twice before nodding and rolling it up. He tied it together with string, and then tied it to Hedwig's leg. 'Take this straight to Ron and then come back here, okay?' Harry told her.

Hedwig hooted and nipped Harry's finger before ruffling her feathers and taking off, disappearing through the open window to Harry's left.

'Does your wizard friend have a telephone?' Loki asked as he watched Hedwig go. 'I'm afraid that flying from England to New York might be a bit much for her.'

'I'm sure she'd do it if she really had to,' Harry commented. She was a very proud bird. 'But I don't want to make her fly back and forth too much. My friend, Hermione, is a Muggle-born, and she should have a telephone. I can send her Tony's phone number in a letter and she'll know to call.'

'I have no idea what my number is,' Tony admitted.

'I do,' Loki said. 'Write a letter to Miss Hermione and I'll include the number.'

Harry had brought extra parchment, but just as he was about to start writing he realised that he had no owl. 'Damn it.'

'Ha, see, Harry swears, too!' Tony smirked.

Loki rolled his eyes.

'I can't send Hermione a letter until Hedwig comes back,' Harry sighed.

'If you know her full name JARVIS should be able to track down her contact details,' Tony offered.

'Really?' Harry asked. 'Her name's Hermione Granger, I don't know her middle name. She was born September 19th 1999 and her parents are dentists.'

'Do you know where she lives?' Tony asked, already on his StarkPhone.

'Somewhere in London?' Harry guessed. 'I never really asked.'

Tony just nodded and relayed the information to JARVIS. 'Said he'd let me know,' Tony said, hanging up the phone and putting it aside. He dug back into his breakfast, and Harry decided to do the same. Despite how much he'd eaten the night before, he was famished.

'So, where should we shop first?' Tony asked through a mouthful of bacon and eggs.

Loki sighed. 'I despise shopping.'

Tony grinned at him, and Harry smiled over his plate.


	10. Chapter 10

Ron was in his room when Hedwig returned which, after reading Harry's letter, he realised was a good thing. He breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the letter to Harry's familiar scrawl, and his eyes bugged when he read over the lines. He turned to stare at Hedwig incredulously.

'James Potter's _alive_?' Hedwig, of course, just hooted at him. 'Blimey,' Ron breathed. 'I can't... that's just mad! Madder than You-Know-Who coming back to kill Harry!' Hedwig ruffled her feathers; she was no help. 'I've gotta tell someone! Mum'll...' Ron trailed off, frowning to himself. He read the letter again and then sat against his small, crooked window-sill.

No... he couldn't tell Mum, could he? She'd go straight to Dumbledore and want this.... this Loki and Tony Stark investigated. His mum was great, Ron knew that, but she could be smothering and stick her nose in where it didn't belong. Despite being a few months younger than Ron himself, Harry wasn't a child, he'd never been a child. Ron had seen the bruises and scars Harry's uncle had left on his body. The emotional scars popped up whenever Harry was faced with people actually caring about him. And Ron remembered Christmas, remembered Harry staring at the fire, alone, 'cause he didn't have a family, not really. He never had, not until he'd met Ron and Hermione.

If Ron told his mum, she'd tell Dumbledore, and... Ron didn't trust Dumbledore, at least not completely. Ron had convinced Harry to tell the aging Headmaster about how his relatives were treating him, and Harry had. What had Dumbledore done? Patted Harry on the back and told him that he had to stay, for protection against You-Know-Who. And Harry had gone home at the end of the school year, and hadn't replied to any of Ron or Hermione's letters. What had they done to him after Ron's failed tephelone call?

Ron _wanted_ to tell his mum; he wanted his parents to make sure that Harry was okay, that Tony Stark and Loki, Harry's apparent father, were taking care of him. But what if they took Harry away from a loving family? What if they sent him _back_ to his relatives?

Ron just couldn't do that. He wanted his best mate safe and, at the end of the day, it wasn't really Ron's call, was it? It should be up to Harry.

Ron read over the letter again and again, it was the most he'd read all holidays. A few months ago, before going down into those rooms beneath Hogwarts, Ron had told Harry that he'd follow him. Well, he'd follow him now, too. He'd trust that Harry was safe and knew what he was doing. Hopefully it'd all end well.

_I should write 'Mione_ , Ron thought,  _she'll know what to do. She's smarter than me_ . Ron looked up at Hedwig, who appeared completely unruffled and... happy. If Harry was being mistreated by these people, they wouldn't let him contact Ron, right? Hedwig would let him know if something was wrong; she was a smart bird.

'Harry's safe, right, Hedwig?' he asked her. Hedwig hooted, and then nipped at Ron's fingers when he reached over to scratch her. 'Right,' Ron nodded. 'So that's decided. I'll contact Hermione, and I'll send a letter back to Harry.' Harry had told him not to write back, but honestly, how could Ron  _not_ ? This was too big!

Ron quickly went over to his trunk and rummaged about until he'd found a quill, ink and parchment. His homework and textbooks stared accusingly at him from beneath a pair of robes, but Ron ignored them; homework could wait!

It didn't take Ron long to scratch out a short letter, and when he fixed it to Hedwig's leg she hooted and took off, disappearing through Ron's window. Ron watched her fly across the paddocks surrounded  _The Burrow_ before sighing and sitting back. Before he could think any more, his bedroom door flew open.

'Ronnie,' Fred- or George, they were wearing identical clothing again- called.

'Was that Harry's owl we saw?' the other twin- George, Ron realised when he spotted the small mole on his neck- asked.

'What?' Ron blinked. 'I mean, yeah.'

'Is he okay?' George asked, looking worried, while Fred was frowning.

'Yeah, he's fine,' Ron nodded, and the twins breathed out sighs of relief. 'He got into, ah, trouble,' Ron said quickly, 'after my, uh... tephenone... thingy- call. His relatives wouldn't let him answer my letters or Hermione's.'

'Well, that's good,' Fred said.

'Yeah,' George agreed. 'Although now we can't steal Dad's car.'

'Was lookin' forward to that,' Fred sighed. 'And mounting a prison escape!'

'You were gonna steal Dad's car?' Ron asked, eyes wide.

Fred snickered, and George said, ''Course we were, little brother. Dad reckons it can fly!'

'Mum'll kill him when she finds out,' Ron said.

'We aren't gonna tell her!' Fred said.

'And you aren't, either!' George added.

'Of course not,' Ron snorted. That last thing the family needed was their mum behind bars for trying to murder their dad.

'Well, now that little Harry's alright,' Fred said.

'We'll be off,' George said.

'Places to go-' Fred began.

'- pranks to plan,' George finished.

They both grinned toothily at Ron, who wilted under their stares. He really hoped that they weren't planning on pranking  _him_ .

'Seeya, bro!' George called and Fred waved. Ron just watched them go, his older brothers slamming the crooked door behind them. Ron sighed and went to sprawl out over his bed. But before that, he decided to crawl under his desk and hide Harry's letter under the one loose floorboard; he didn't want Molly coming across it when she was cleaning.

'I hope you're okay, mate,' Ron mumbled and fixed the wood back into place.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


JARVIS had directed them to the closest mall, and Harry looked around at all the stores as Loki and Tony walked either side of him.

'So, shopping,' Tony said and clapped his hands together. Harry glanced up at him; he looked a little... eh, manic. 'What do you wanna get first?' Tony asked, looking at Harry.

'Um...' Harry shrugged his shoulders. He really wasn't sure what he needed, or what he was allowed to get. 'Clothes?' he offered after a beat when Tony just continued to stare at him. Loki was looking around at the crowds, a sneer on his face.

'Clothes,' Tony nodded, 'good choice, kiddo. So, uh... where do we get kids' clothes?'

''m not a kid,' Harry mumbled, but neither adult heard him.

Eventually Tony called JARVIS- apparently the AI really did know _everything_ \- and Tony followed the computer's instructions into a large store that sold what looked like everything. There were big signs hanging from the ceiling, and Tony and Loki herded Harry towards the kids section.

Harry had honestly never been shopping before. He'd been to a shopping centre once when he was really young; Dudley had wanted to spend his birthday money and the Dursleys hadn't trusted Harry alone in the house with Dudley's birthday cake, so they'd had to take him with them. Harry hadn't been allowed to go again because the Dursleys had left him in a bookstore after Dudley got bored, and when Harry found a security guard he couldn't give the man his name; it wasn't like the Dursleys had used it all that often. They'd always preferred “freak” and “boy”.

'Shirts, jeans, PJs...' Tony hummed as he walked along the rows. Eventually he stopped and looked at Harry. 'You need everything, right?' Harry nodded. 'Well go on, then, have a browse.'

Harry hesitated, but when he felt Loki's cool hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, he took a short, soft breath and stepped forward. At first he just looked; there were _so_ many different things! Jeans in different colours and shirts with colourful graphics and plaid pull-overs that looked like they'd actually _fit_! A black shirt eventually caught Harry's eyes, and the wizard walked over to it. It had a large graphic of the night sky printed on the front, and Harry touched the small white stars.

'Do you like it?'

Harry jumped and turned around. Loki was standing behind him, while Tony was at the end of the aisle talking to a lady who looked like she worked there.

'Oh, um... yes?' Harry tried.

Loki chuckled softly and reached over Harry to grab the shirt. He hummed as he looked it over, then held it up against Harry's torso. 'I suppose that you don't know what size you are?'

'No,' Harry shook his head. 'The only new things the Dursleys ever bought me was underwear, 'cause once at school I tripped over and they fell down. I got in trouble for, um... you know...' Harry was mumbling by the end, and his cheeks felt hot. Loki didn't laugh, though. When Harry risked a glance up he saw that Loki was scowling slightly, eyes hard on the t-shirt he was still holding.

But... Harry was pretty sure that the god wasn't angry at him; that was the look he got whenever Harry mentioned the Dursleys' poor treatment of him. So he was angry at the Dursleys, not Harry. Harry was getting better at reading his father.

'We will pick a few different sizes and you can try them on,' Loki decided after a beat of silence. 'Come, you can do that before picking out any more clothing.'

Harry nodded and let Loki lead him through the store. He was told to pick jeans and pyjamas, and when he did Loki grabbed various sizes before ushering Harry along. They met up with Tony again, the Muggle fiddling with his StarkPhone and looking every which way. He still had his sunglasses on, and his hair was messy. Harry hadn't understood why until Tony had whispered something about the media; Harry figured that Tony didn't want to get spotted.

Eventually they found the changing rooms, and Harry was able to figure out what size he was in shirts and pants. He pulled on the star-print t-shirt, a pair of dark-wash denim jeans, and stepped out of the room to show Loki and Tony.

Loki smiled, looking pleased, while Tony whistled and clapped.

'Looking good, Harry,' the billionaire grinned.

Blushing, Harry mumbled, 'Thank you.'

'Would you like to keep those clothes on, or find something else to wear when we're done here?' Loki asked. 'I'd prefer you change out of those... rags.'

'Um, these are fine,' Harry nodded. His underwear was still clean as far as he knew, and his socks... well, Loki had turned his socks into shoes, which had been amazing; it was _so_ much cooler than any transfiguration Professor McGonagall had done at Hogwarts.

'Come here, kiddo,' Tony said, and Harry stepped forward. He was made to turn around and Tony pulled the tags from his clothes before folding them up and slipping them into his pocket. 'We'll pay for them when we get to the front,' Tony continued. 'Uh, Lokes, I think we might need a shopping cart.'

'What is a shopping cart?' Loki asked.

Harry smiled. It seemed that he wasn't the only one ignorant of the Muggle world.

'It's a, uh... cart,' Tony said, staring at Loki, who smirked. 'And carries your...'

'Shopping?' Loki suggested.

Tony scowled. 'Am I gonna go hunt for one or are you?'

'Do you really trust me to be alone with all these innocent mortals?' Loki asked.

Tony snorted and said, 'With Harry here, you'll be on your best behaviour.'

Loki glared at that, then huffed and waved Tony away. The Muggle snickered and threw Harry a wink before he disappeared.

'He's an odd man,' Loki mused, eyes soft as they stared after Tony.

'But you love him, right?' Harry said.

'I do,' Loki agreed. Then his eyes widened and he turned to stare at Harry.

'Um... did I say something wrong?' Harry asked, hunching his shoulders a bit. Tony had already told him that he and Loki were together...

'No,' Loki said after a few seconds, 'no, of course not, Harry. I just didn't realise that you knew.'

'I'm good at reading people,' Harry said.

'You either got that from me, or learned it by necessity.'

'I don't care, you know,' Harry said, smiling slightly when Loki looked at him. 'I like Tony, he's really nice and funny. And he clearly loves you.'

'Yes, he does,' Loki agreed, 'some days I still question why. And then I remember that he's insane.' Harry giggled and Loki smiled down at him. 'He loves you, too,' Loki added.

Harry blinked. 'He does?'

'Of course he does,' Loki said. 'If we were on Asgard, Tony would be considered my consort; a husband-to-be, if you will. Therefore he would be your step-father.'

'Oh,' Harry said. First he'd found one parent, and now he had two. Harry couldn't stop the flare of hope that ignited in his chest. He'd never felt like this before, it was like his first time on a broom only five million times better. Loki loved him and Tony loved him and they were buying him clothes and spending time with him and-

This was even better then finding out that he was a wizard, Harry decided. Because while that had been amazing, the wizarding world was dangerous and he was famous for his mum dying. Here, with Loki and Tony, there didn't appear to be any downside. Loki loved him. Tony loved him. That was it, end of story. Harry didn't have to do anything, or lose anything, to have their company and affection.

'Harry?'

Harry sniffed and looked up. Loki had crouched down a bit, moving until he and Harry were almost at eye-level. Loki was _really_ tall.

'Are you okay?' Loki asked, concern thick in his voice. 'Did I say something wrong?'

'N-No,' Harry stuttered and sniffed again. He wiped at his eyes and said, 'This is just the best day of my life.'

Loki's eyebrows jumped in surprise.

'It was amazing, finding out that I was a wizard,' Harry continued, 'but this is better. Because I didn't lose anything to get you; you want to take care of me just because.'

'You are my son, Harry,' Loki said softly, 'and nothing I ever do will make up for leaving you with those... _people_ , for so long. But I will spend the rest of my life making sure that you are happy and safe.'

Harry hesitated briefly before jumping forward. Loki jolted in surprise when Harry wrapped his arms around the god tightly, but soon enough he hugged Harry back. Harry sniffed back his tears and focused on the happy feeling bubbling in his chest and stomach. It'd be okay, he was sure of it. Loki and Tony wouldn't get tired of him and they wouldn't leave him. They'd take care of him, and nothing bad would ever happen again.

Harry was finally safe.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony wasn't sure he'd ever been inside an average mall. He usually shopped at the fancy stores that catered to his every whim. He felt weird pushing a shopping cart down the aisles, but thankfully nobody seemed to have recognised him yet. And if they did, he hoped that they ignored him; after all, what would Tony Stark be doing in England?

He eventually found Loki and Harry again. The kid's eyes were a bit red, and Loki looked upset, but both smiled when they saw Tony so the genius let it go.

Harry had to be talked into getting multiple pairs of clothing; he'd clearly never had a lot of stuff, even simple things like clothes. It made Tony hate the Dursleys that much more. Whenever the kid picked something up but put it back, Tony or Loki would grab it when Harry wasn't looking and stuff it into the cart. Soon enough Harry had a dozen pairs of jeans, shorts, trousers, shirts, plaid shirts and sweaters. He seemed to favour hooded sweatshirts and plaid, so Tony made sure to grab a heap.

They let Harry pick his own underwear; at least Harry grabbed multiple packages of them, as well as socks.

Shoes were next, and Harry picked a pair of fake, black Converse sneakers, followed by a pair of white sneakers. Tony also got him boots, because he was pretty sure that Harry would need them if he ever wanted to join Tony in his workshop.

They headed to the bedding section next, and Tony stopped the cart just before the sheets. 'Okay, short stuff, listen up,' Tony said, and grinned when Harry snapped to attention. 'I've already ordered you a bed and furniture; it'll be delivered and set up by the time we get to New York.'

Bruce, Clint _and_ Steve had all vowed to put everything together in the guest room just down the hall from Tony and Loki's bedroom in the penthouse. Bruce had mentioned that Thor wanted to help, too, but Thor wasn't good at _moving_ furniture. He tended to break stuff. He was excellent at putting together the crap from Ikea that made even Tony's head spin, though, so he'd been put in charge of that.

'You've just gotta pick out sheets, a few quilts, pillows, and a bedspread,' Tony said, 'okay?'

'Uh... okay?' Harry offered, like he wasn't quite sure what he was agreeing to.

Tony grinned again and clapped the boy on the shoulder. 'Excellent. So, what's your favourite colour?'

'Um...' Harry frowned and looked around at the shelves of sheets, all packaged in plastic. 'I don't really have one,' he admitted. 'I like red and gold.'

'Hey, that's my colour-scheme,' Tony smiled.

When Harry looked at him, Loki said, 'Red and gold are the colours of the Iron Man suit.'

'Oh, yeah, I remember that,' Harry said, clearly recalling his brief glimpse of Tony's suit back in the Dursleys' kitchen. 'Well, red and gold are Gryffindor's colours.'

'Really?” Tony asked. 'Well how about that. Maybe I'd be a Gryffindor if I was magic.'

Loki snorted. 'You're certainly pig-headed enough.' Tony pouted, and Loki said, 'No, Stark, you'd be a Ravenclaw.'

'I would?' Tony asked.

'Ravenclaws are really smart,' Harry said. 'They value intelligence above all else.'

'Huh.'

'I would have been a Slytherin if hadn't been James Potter,' Loki said. He glanced around at the sheets and said, 'Stark, what do the sizes mean?'

Tony hopped to, and explained to both Loki and Harry how he'd ordered the wizard a queen-sized bed, so they had to pick queen-sized sheets and quilts. They went up and down every aisle, Harry favouring the simple prints rather than the very colourful kids quilt-sets; he eventually settled on green sheets and a black-and-grey patterned bedspread, and Tony made sure to fill the cart with three or four of the packages. Which kinda filled the cart up, so Loki sent him off for another one.

Harry kept giggling whenever Loki ordered Tony around, and Tony was used to it so he just went along with Loki's orders.

When Tony got back Harry had picked a pillow he liked, and when Loki tossed four of them into the cart Harry frowned and tried to talk him out of it.

'Stark's paying, Harry, so you can choose as many things as you like,' Loki said.

'Yeah, kiddo; billionaire, remember?' Tony said. 'It'd seriously take me about twenty life-times to spend all the money I have. And I make more every year.'

'You'll have those lifetimes, Stark,' Loki murmured as he inspected a quilt.

'I will?' Tony asked. Loki just smirked and told Harry to pick a blanket.

With Harry's bedding done, they moved to the book section. Harry was practically vibrating with excitement, as was Loki, and Tony smiled as he watched father and son look over each and every book on offer. Tony wondered if Harry was like Loki; did he like sitting up and reading? Did he lose entire afternoons with a good book, forgetting to eat and sleep and generally do anything else? He couldn't picture the Dursleys buying Harry books, and that Dudley kid didn't seem the type to read. Maybe Harry had never had the opportunity to fall in love with reading.

Loki found a stack of books that he wanted, and Harry picked at least a dozen novels himself; he blushed when he realised how many he'd chosen, but Tony just smiled and put them in the cart beneath the pillows.

'Entertainment!' Tony cheered when they were done, and Loki sighed when Tony pushed the cart quickly and leaned over it so he could ride the thing down the aisle. They got a lot of looks that Tony ignored, and Harry laughed loudly as he jogged to keep up with Tony and Loki. 'What games do you want, Harry?'

'Oh, um, none,' Harry said.

'Seriously?'

Harry nodded. 'I never got to play any of Dudley's games. Well, I did a few times when the Dursleys went out for dinner, but it was only ever for a few minutes.'

'Seriously?' Tony repeated. 'Kiddo, you haven't _lived_ until you've screamed at _Mario Kart_.'

' _Mario Kart_?' Harry echoed.

'It's a game that brings out the very worst in people,' Loki sighed.

Tony snickered. 'Loki blew up my Nintendo Wii when he kept losing, so I had to buy another one. And then I got a Wii U and _Mario Kart 8_. I've also got Play Stations and X-Boxes and an old Nintendo 64.' Harry just stared at him, clearly having no idea what any of the consoles were. 'Anyway, the Wii U isn't actually out yet, but I'm Tony Stark.' Tony grinned. 'I'll show you how to play when we get home, you'll love it.'

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Harry was sure that _Mario Kart_ was one of the games that Dudley had smashed with a hammer when he kept losing, so he'd never got a chance to try it when the Dursleys went out and left him at home. Tony was clearly a fan of Mario- which he said was an entire franchise of games and toys- and immediately disappeared to go buy... whatever was needed to play the game.

Harry wasn't sure what he could say or do to get Tony to stop. The man was like Hermione during exams; completely insane and unstoppable. Loki was clearly used to it, because he just pushed their two trolleys up against a shelf and stood looking at the many different games on display. Harry decided to browse, too, letting his eyes wander over the many plastic cases with brightly coloured covers. He had no idea what games were considered good or fun, so figured he'd let Tony buy what he wanted; the Muggle clearly couldn't be stopped.

A few minutes passed, then ten, then twenty, and Loki grabbed a book from the trolley and started reading. Harry followed his lead and picked out _The Lightning Thief_. The blurb on the back said that it was about a boy who discovered one of his parents was a Greek God, and it fit _so well_ with what was currently happening in Harry's life that he just had to read it.

Harry had always liked reading, he'd just never really had a chance to read a lot. When the Dursleys had moved him into Dudley's second room he'd been allowed to read the old novels that Dudley had never touched but that was it. At Hogwarts he'd been too busy trying to figure out the Philosopher's Stone that he hadn't really paid all that much attention to his school books. Now he actually had books and an entire summer to do his homework! Harry smiled, wondering what Hermione would say when she realised that Harry was choosing to read instead of goofing off.

Harry was a few chapters into his book when Tony finally came back.

'Dear Valhalla, Stark, did you buy every game console they had on offer?' Loki asked.

Harry's jaw dropped when he saw the two bulging bags Tony was carrying.

'Not all, no, just a lot,' Tony said. He dumped the bags into the trolley and grinned. 'I bought myself a few things,' he admitted. 'I demanded to try out the new Nintendo 3DS and the guy behind the counter let me when I told him I'm Tony Stark. I kinda got addicted to it,' he admitted with a sheepish smile. 'Anyway, I'm totally gonna go into the gaming industry. I could build heaps cooler game consoles than Nintendo. I'm gonna make billions, Loki!'

Loki rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the trolleys. 'Take a shopping cart, Stark, and walk ahead of me. If you touch anything I will hit you.'

Tony pouted and Harry grinned as he memorised his page and put the book back in the trolley.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


There wasn't much else that Harry needed. Tony asked if he wanted any toys, but Harry had never had any and didn't see the need to have any now; the books and whatever electronics Tony had bought him was definitely too much.

They ended up staying in the shop for another hour or two, because Tony wanted to do a circuit and make sure that Harry had everything he'd need. When they were done Loki and Tony piled all of Harry's new things into the car Tony had hired, including the travel suitcases that they'd bought him.

'I feel like something greasy,' Tony decided as they climbed into the car. 'Do you lot have McDonalds in the UK? What am I saying, there are McDonalds' everywhere.'

Harry had clearly never had McDonalds before and let Tony order for him. He got the kid a cheeseburger meal as well as some nuggets. Loki got a few burgers and fries, Tony the same, and they sat outside in the sun to eat.

'Thank you,' Harry said quietly as they started eating, and Tony looked up, mouth stuffed with burger. Beside him Loki did the same. 'You really didn't have to buy me all this stuff,' the wizard continued, and gestured at his new clothes, 'but I really appreciate it.'

'Think nothing of it, kiddo,' Tony said after swallowing his mouthful. 'Couldn't keep you in those rags, could we? And I like spending money. I've got enough of it.'

Harry smiled, while Loki said, 'We'll take you to Diagon Alley as soon as you get your list. I know that there's similar magical communities in America, but I'm not sure where. It would be best to stick with what we both know.'

'And I can go when we figure out how to make my arc reactor magic safe, right?' Tony asked. He really didn't want to be left behind. The magic world sounded fascinating- he still laughed every time he thought of _flying brooms_ \- and he didn't want to miss out on Loki bonding with his son.

'Yes,' Loki nodded. 'It shouldn't take me long, once we're home and have access to your lab.'

'Awesome,' Tony grinned and tore back into his food.


	11. Chapter 11

'Harry, come and join me for a moment.'

Harry tore his eyes away from the window and turned to see Loki sitting in the middle of the entertaining area. Tony's private jet was big, with spacious seats, a lounge area, a TV and DVD player- there was even a master bedroom in the back!

Harry had never even seen a plane up close, let alone been on one, and had been giddy as he, Tony and Loki boarded a few hours earlier. He'd been happy to watch the land and then water fly by underneath until Loki called his name.

'Yes?' Harry said when he'd stood and joined Loki, who was sitting on the floor.

'I want to see if we can find your Jötunn magic,' Loki said.

'Really?' Harry asked, excitement coursing through him. He sat quickly.

Tony, who was lounging on the couch opposite Loki, said, 'Is that safe, what with us flying in a giant metal tube full of technology?'

'Do you doubt my mastery of magic, Stark?' Loki asked, one eyebrow up.

Tony snorted. ''Course not, Green Eyes. Just cautious, is all.'

'Jötunn magic won't effect the plane in any way,' Loki said. 'And if Harry loses control of his mortal magic I will contain it.'

'But won't the Ministry find out?' Harry asked.

'No,' Loki said. 'The Ministry has a track on all wands sold within the United Kingdom, and if an underage wizard purchases a wand outside of England, the wards surrounding various areas of the Wizarding World will register it. They don't track the witch or wizard, it's illegal.'

'So that's how they find out about underage magic?' Harry asked.

Loki nodded. 'The rule is more in place for Muggle-born or Muggle-raised wizards and witches, as they could reveal your existence to non-magical people. Underage magic is usually used by a mortal wishing to show off to their friends, thus they use their wand, or have their wand on their person; the spell or magic registers within the proper Ministry department,' Loki explained. 'When a young wizard lives with a magical family, the Ministry can't differentiate between underage magic and magic used by the adult wizards in the area. They rely on the parents to keep control of their children.'

He paused, head tilted, eyes roaming over Harry, who just sat patiently.

'I'm assuming that Dumbledore had tracking spells on you,' Loki said, 'but they were broken when you left the Dursleys' house. I would have been aware had they been reactivated.'

Harry frowned and pulled at the hem of his jeans. 'You think Dumbledore was tracking me?'

'I know for a fact that he, or someone, was keeping an eye on you,' Loki told him. 'There were many wards placed around Privet Drive, and it wasn't just the blood wards keeping you safe.'

'Oh,' Harry said, 'so... Dumbledore really did know what was happening to me?' He glanced up to see Loki's eyes dark, jaw clenched, and he just nodded. 'I told him, at the end of First Year, when I realised I'd have to go back,' Harry murmured. 'He told me I had to go for protection, and... and that I'd be okay. But I wasn't. They locked me in my room.'

Loki's hands were fisted on his trousers, and Harry bit his lip. He didn't want to make Loki mad, and he didn't want to dwell on the Dursleys personally. He wanted to move on and never think of them again.

As though he was reading Harry's mind, Loki took a deep breath and physically relaxed, his jaw loosening and shoulders going slack. Tony, who had been watching Loki carefully throughout the conversation, sighed slightly and settled back into his seat.

'That is in the past, and we shouldn't think about it,' Loki said. Harry nodded. 'Now, I want to see how much Jötunn magic you have, and whether or not you will be able to use it before you go back to Hogwarts.'

'So I might not be able to?' Harry asked. He wondered how he could have two different... magics, for lack of a better word. Did he have two cores? Or did he have one core that his magic shared?'

'I can sense your Jötunn magic, so you definitely have it,' Loki said, bringing Harry out of his head. 'I can't quite tell how strong it is or how developed. You are very young, both in mortal and Jötunn years, and it may take time for you to develop it. If you do, there is a chance that it will, one day, overtake your core completely and replace any mortal magic you have.'

'Oh,' Harry breathed. 'I have one core, okay. That was... I was wondering about that.'

Loki's lips twitched upward. 'It's good to see that Hogwarts is still teaching the basics of magic.'

'Hermione taught me that, actually,' Harry admitted. 'We learnt a bit about magical signatures and cores in Charms, but not a lot. Hermione pulled me aside a few days a month and showed me the research she'd made.'

'Shouldn't they teach all kids that?' Tony commented from his seat. 'I mean, if it's common knowledge and basic magical theory,' he added when Harry and Loki looked at him.

'They should,' Loki agreed. 'Muggle-raised and Muggle-born students have always had a harder time fitting in with the pure-blood and magically-raised students. But Dumbledore's never bothered to try and bridge the gap between them; he was always more worried about the possibility of another war, especially with Harry growing older every year. I doubt that his entire focus is on the school.'

'Shouldn't it be, though?' Harry asked. 'He's the Headmaster.'

'A good Headmaster or Headmistress focuses his or her attention solely on the growth and safety of the students and professors within Hogwarts,' Loki agreed. 'However, Dumbledore has always considered himself different. He defeated Grindlewald; he was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. He was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix during the First War. His attention has always been focused on his private little wars rather than the school.'

Harry frowned at that, and it was Tony who asked what the Order of the Phoenix was. Loki explained that it was a group Dumbledore had created, back during the First War against Voldemort, made up of Light wizards and witches like the Potters, the Longbottoms, Sirius Black, etc. They had actively defied Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and had done everything they could to defeat the lunatic.

'That is not important right now,' Loki finished. Tony pouted and Harry smiled slightly. Tony was, at times, like a giant kid; it made him easy to get along with, at least for Harry. 'I wish to see your core, Harry; with your permission.'

Harry blinked. 'Oh, uh, of course,' he said. Loki directed him to hold his hands out and Harry placed them atop Loki's own. Loki's skin was cool and smooth and Harry watched as the Trickster closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'This will not hurt, Harry,' Loki said. 'However, depending on how in touch you are with your magic, you may feel a small intrusion upon your being.'

'My what- _whoa_ ,' Harry cut himself off as he felt... something, a cool, yet oddly familiar presence touch his mind. The cold feeling trickled down his spine, like someone had tipped a jug of ice-cold water down his back. Harry shivered lightly and heard Loki murmur something, but his voice was too soft for Harry to catch his words.

The cold feeling moved into his chest and then deeper, as though going right through him. Suddenly there was something else- it felt like snow, fluttering lightly within Harry's chest. And something warm, too, a spark of... of  _red_ . Harry didn't know how he knew that it was red, but it was. Then there were smaller sparks of gold, but the snow was bigger, stronger, yet  _raw_ .

'There it is,' Loki murmured.

'Found it?' Tony asked from across the plane.

'Do be quiet, Stark,' Loki drawled.

Harry heard the Muggle huff, but was too focused on whatever was going on inside himself to turn and look.

'You have Jötunn magic and it's quite strong,' Loki mused.

'It is?' Harry murmured.

'Indeed,' Loki said. 'By my estimation, it will take over your mortal core by your thirteenth birthday.'

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about that, and Loki must have felt his emotions, because he squeezed Harry's hands.

'Do not worry, Harry,' he said. 'With the proper training, you will be able to disguise your Jötunn magic as mortal magic. And do not forget that you have your mother's eyes and her temperament, and I can tell you many stories of her youth. You will not lose her. The very fact that her blood beats through your heart, and her magic still protects you, is enough to keep her close.'

Harry smiled. Trust Loki to know exactly why Harry was feeling upset; they had only known each other for a few days, disregarding the first year of Harry's life that the wizard couldn't remember. Loki seemed to be able to read Harry so well. It was an  _amazing_ feeling, one Harry was still getting used to; having someone care this much, know him this well.

'If I lose my... mortal magic,' Harry said slowly after a brief silence, 'will I need a wand?'

'No,' Loki said. 'Wands are needed to channel mortal magic because your bodies are too weak to use raw magic regularly; words have power, but your bodies cannot handle extended use of magic. You, however, are Jötunn; you will be fine.'

'But I'm only half-Jötunn,' Harry said.

'Yes,' Loki agreed, 'however, it is becoming clear to me that my genetics are dominant. It is why you look more like me than your mother, and why you have Frost Giant magic. You will also, most likely, have a Frost Giant form.'

'Really?' Harry asked. He still didn't know what Loki really looked like, but both he and Tony had mentioned that Loki's green eyes, black hair and pale skin wasn't his  _true form_ . It was a glamour Loki wore to disguise what he really looked like.

'Yes,' Loki repeated. 'You are not a shape-shifter; that would have made itself apparent long ago. Tapping into your Jötunn magic will most likely shift your form. Your magic will need a stronger, cooler body so that it can be used properly. But do not worry, I will help you shift between the two forms if it comes to that.

Harry just nodded and soon he felt the cool presence- which must be Loki, he realised- slip away. The snow inside him- and really, Harry couldn't think of any other way to describe the feeling- hung around for a minute, maybe two, before it sank back into Harry and disappeared, leaving him feeling cold and... empty.

Harry looked up to see Loki staring at him, an emotion in his eyes that Harry hadn't seen before and couldn't quite name.

'You are powerful, Harry,' Loki said. 'It is no wonder that you defeated Voldemort.'

Harry squirmed slightly. 'I don't know how I did,' he admitted.

'I do,' Loki said, and Harry jolted.

'You do?' he demanded.

Loki nodded. 'When your mother... was murdered,' he said, voice slightly thick, 'her magic and soul enveloped you and left a lasting impression. Her love for you protected you when Voldemort tried to kill you. Somebody as twisted and evil as Voldemort could not hope to harm one hair on your head. In fact, many would find it difficult to _truly_ hurt you.'

'Oh,' Harry frowned. 'But Dudley always beat me up, and Uncle Vernon-' He cut himself off and looked at Loki, who's eyes were hard. A quick glance at Tony showed that the Muggle was glaring at his glass. 'Uncle Vernon... he didn't hit me a lot,' Harry said, 'just a slap, sometimes, when I talked back. Mostly he and Aunt Petunia made me do a lot of chores and didn't feed me if I messed up.'

Loki breathed in and out heavily before he opened his eyes and stared at Harry. 'Harry, what they did to you was wrong. You never deserved the way they treated you.'

'I... I know,' Harry said. He swallowed thickly. 'I thought I deserved it, when I was little, 'cause Dudley was never treated how I was, and neither were the kids I went to school with. But then I got to Hogwarts and... and Hermione and Ron, they were happy, and when I told Ron, he said my family were bad and should be reported. So I told Dumbledore.'

'Your friend was the one who said you should tell Dumbledore?' Tony asked.

Harry nodded at him. 'I didn't want to. Nobody had ever helped before, but Ron said Dumbledore was really powerful and would make it better. He didn't.'

'No, he didn't,' Loki agreed with a scowl, 'and believe me, that old bastard will be getting what's coming to him.'

'Loki!' Tony gasped dramatically. 'The foul mouth on you! And in front of Harry!'

Loki glared at him and Tony just grinned, which made Harry laugh.

'You will get what's coming to you, Stark,' Loki muttered as he stood. He helped Harry to his feet and patted his son on the shoulder. 'Forget your past, Harry, but learn from it; you are wanted, you are special. What has happened to you will never be repeated.'

'I know,' Harry said, smiling up at him. 'I'm learning.'

Loki gave him a soft smile in reply and squeezed Harry's shoulder before directing him to sit beside Tony. He got the window seat again and Harry grinned at the two men.

'I love flying,' he murmured.

'Anthony and I will be sure to come to all your Quidditch matches,' Loki said.

'Hell yeah we will!' Tony shouted, waving his glass about. 'I wanna see flying brooms! I can't wait!'

'You need help,' Loki drawled.

'Pepper's been telling me that for years,' Tony said, winking at him.

Harry grinned as Loki scowled at his partner.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki had been quiet for some time now, and Tony was faintly worried. He kept staring at Harry, his frown deepening, before he'd look out the window. When Harry woke from his impromptu nap and grabbed one of the books Tony had bought him, Tony finally caved.

'Alright, Lokes, what's up?'

'Hmm?' Loki hummed.

'Don't play innocent,' Tony muttered. 'What's wrong?'

Loki frowned a bit more and looked back at Harry again.

'Did... did I do something wrong?' Harry asked tentatively.

Tony sighed. He knew that it'd take time for Harry to feel comfortable around him and Loki, but he hoped it happened soon; he really didn't want Harry thinking that he'd done something wrong every time he or Loki got into one of their moods.

'Of course not,' Loki said immediately, offering Harry a small smile. Harry returned it. 'I was just thinking...'

'About...?' Tony prompted when Loki trailed off.

'About an old friend of mine,' Loki said. He paused before saying, 'Harry, have you ever heard of Sirius Black?'

'Sirius Black?' Harry echoed, head tilted. Tony vaguely recalled the name from when Loki had told him about his Hogwarts days. 'I don't think so,' Harry said.

'He was my best friend all throughout Hogwarts, and later he was best man at mine and Lily's wedding.'

'Really?' Harry asked.

Loki nodded. 'He was like a brother to me; a better brother than Thor, at times, but just as pig-headed.'

Tony snorted and said, 'You attract a type, don't you?'

Loki scowled at him briefly before turning his gaze back to Harry. 'Lily and I made wills just before you were born. In the event of something happening to us, which I honestly never expected, Sirius was to get custody of you. If he was indisposed, then Remus should have got you. Petunia was last on the list.'

'Remus?' Tony questioned. 'Wait, was he the werewolf?'

'Werewolf?' Harry gaped, while Loki nodded.

'Yes, Remus Lupin; he was our other friend at Hogwarts. We called ourselves the Marauders; James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. When I lost...' Loki trailed off and swallowed thickly, eyes roaming over Harry's face before locking with his green eyes. 'When I lost your mother, I wasn't in my right mind. I didn't know how to go about finding you, and I was dragged home again and ordered to stay. I thought that Sirius- or Petunia, at least- would take good care of you. I thought...' he frowned again, 'I thought you would be better off without me.'

But he hadn't been. Tony sighed and scrubbed his face before taking another sip of his drink. Loki had spent so many,  _ many  _ years thinking that he wasn't good enough; wasn't a good enough warrior, son, prince,  _ anything _ . And even when he tried to remove himself from the picture everything went wrong.

'I don't blame you,' Harry murmured, smiling slightly at Loki when the god looked at him. 'Honest, I don't.'

'I know, Harry,' Loki sighed. 'You are far too forgiving; you must get that from Lily.'

Tony huffed a very soft laugh. The last thing Loki was was  _ forgiving _ .

Harry just smiled a bit wider and settled back in his seat.

'Anyway,' Loki said after a brief moment of silence, 'Sirius should have gotten custody of you, unless he was killed during the war.'

'Is there any way to find out?' Tony asked.

'The Ministry would have a record,' Loki murmured. 'Or I could try and track down some of the Order who survived.'

'Those are the guys who fought Voldie, right?' Tony asked.

Loki rolled his eyes. 'Yes, Stark, the Order we discussed roughly three hours ago.'

Tony poked his tongue out, but Loki ignored him.

'Arthur Weasley and his wife were part of the Order,' Loki said, 'as well as a few other Gryffindors; Frank and Alice Longbottom, Gideon and Fabian Prewett. And Dumbledore, of course,' he said, spitting Dumbledore's name like it was a curse.

'Longbottom?' Harry perked up. 'Like Neville Longbottom?'

'Neville?' Loki questioned.

'He's in my year; Gryffindor,' Harry explained. 'We share a dormitory. He's really shy, but nice.'

'I see,' Loki mused. 'Alice fell pregnant around the same time as Lily, and she and Frank went into hiding when we did. The last I heard their child had been born healthy and they were safe. I can't remember much about the war, I was preoccupied with you.' He paused. 'And then with losing you,' he added, voice soft.

Tony reached over to squeeze Loki's hand, satisfied when Loki squeezed back.

'Um, I think Neville lives with his grandmother,' Harry said. 'He mentioned it a few times.'

'I see,' Loki repeated with a sigh. 'Frank and Alice must have been killed during the war.'

'I can't believe a massive war happened without us realising it,' Tony said.

'The Muggle Prime Minister would have been aware, as well as the Queen and Royal Family,' Loki said. 'Only a select few Muggles are aware of the magical community on this Realm. There were a few instances of the Death Eaters attacking Muggles and revealing themselves, but the Ministry took care of it and wiped a lot of minds.'

'Oh, mind wiping,  _ awesome _ ,' Tony grunted. 'I  _ love  _ having my mind wiped.'

'Anyone who tries to wipe your mind is in for a shock, I believe,' Loki smirked. 'Your mind is chaos.'

'Like you'd know,' Tony retorted, which made Loki chuckle. Loki actually liked that he couldn't magically influence Tony's mind; he said it meant that Tony was safe from that kind of magic, safe in a way that no mortal or immortal was. In Tony's opinion, it was just another instance of his true awesomeness showing through.

'I want to find out what happened to Sirius,' Loki decided after a few minutes. 'He was my best friend, and if he's alive I want to know why he did nothing to help Harry.'

'Okay,' Tony agreed easily.

'And, I suppose he deserves to know the truth about me,' Loki added.

'Okay,' Tony repeated.

'Shut up, Stark,' Loki grunted.

'Okay.'

Loki scowled at him, which made Harry laugh. Tony winked at Harry and Loki sighed.

'Are you trying to corrupt my son, Stark?' he asked.

'Maybe,' Tony smiled. 'Hey, Harry, is it working?'

'No,' Harry piped up. Loki shot Tony a smug look.

'Oh, kiddo, you wound me,' Tony fake-pouted.

Harry smiled. 'You're weird,' he decided, and Tony laughed. Seemed like the kid was getting a bit more comfortable around them.

_ Good,  _ Tony thought.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki and Tony were sitting near the cockpit discussing something, leaving Harry with some free time by himself. It wasn't that he didn't like being with Tony and Loki- they were both a lot of fun, and they really cared about him- but Harry had always liked having some private time. It was something that Ron had always understood; he had the ability to sit quietly and just let Harry think, always being there if Harry needed it. Hermione, on the other hand, always felt like you should be productive with your time, not just sit around and _think_.

Speaking of his friends...

Hedwig was sitting on one of the seats in the back of the plane, her feathers ruffled and her large amber eyes narrowed in distaste. Harry couldn't help but smile at the sight; Hedwig didn't like flying unless she was doing it herself.

Just before leaving England, Hedwig had returned from Ron's with a small piece of parchment. Even though Harry had told Ron not to write back, the red-head had, and Harry pulled the parchment from his jeans pocket to look it over again;

  
  


_ Wow, mate. That's just... wow. Only you, eh? I couldn't NOT write back, but I've kept it short. I swear on the Chudley Cannons that I haven't told anyone what you wrote to me, not even Fred and George, or my mum! Promise! I remember what you told me about your relatives, and how Dumbledore did nothing, and I reckon Mum'd go straight to Dumbledore if she knew your dad was still alive and had turned up. Write back when you can, or get Hermione to. Also, have fun, mate; if anyone deserves to finally have a family, it's you. _

  
  


_ Ron _

  
  


Harry smiled and sniffed a bit as he folded the letter back up. He'd honestly been a bit worried that Ron would flip out; Ron had always been a bit jealous of Harry's fame, his position on the Quidditch team, and the money his parents had left him. Harry knew that Ron had never meant anything by it; he'd just grown up poor his entire life, of course he was going to be jealous of anyone who had a lot of money.

Harry understood, but Ron's jealousy still annoyed him at times. Thankfully it seemed that Ron wasn't too jealous this time. Harry still remembered admitting to Ron, one night in the Gryffindor common room when they were alone, just how badly his relatives treated him. It had been Ron who convinced Harry to go to Dumbledore. A lot of good  _ that  _ had done him.

Frowning a bit, Harry glanced back down at the folded-up note. He hadn't even considered who Ron might tell; if he  _ had  _ told his mum, of course the woman would have gone to Dumbledore. Harry could admit that any sane person would. James Potter suddenly showing up after supposedly being dead for ten years? It was really weird, Harry knew, and just because  _ he  _ trusted Loki and Tony didn't mean that anyone else would.

Not that it mattered; Loki was Harry's  _ father _ , it wasn't like anyone could take Harry away from him. And Harry had already seen just how powerful Loki was; even if someone wanted to, Harry was pretty sure that there wasn't any witch or wizard powerful enough to beat Loki in a duel. Also, there was Iron Man to think about.

Harry knew that the wizarding world would explode when news leaked that James Potter wasn't really James Potter, but a Norse God still alive and kicking. Harry would be famous all over again, but at least this time it'd be about something good, rather than something bad. He hated being famous for his stupid scar; it was just a reminder of how his mum had died.

Harry sighed and shook his head before slipping the note into his pocket. He didn't want to dwell on what would happen when he re-entered the magical world with Loki and Tony. For now he was happy, actually  _ happy _ ; this summer was turning out to be the best ever, and Harry didn't want to spend it thinking about all the bad stuff that could happen. He just wanted to get to know Loki and Tony, and settle into his new life.

Nodding determinedly to himself, Harry grabbed  _ The Lightning Thief  _ from where it'd been resting on the coffee table... wait, was it a coffee table when it was in an aeroplane? Maybe it was just a table.

Harry shook his head and settled back into his comfy seat, opening the book at the page he'd last left off. Percy and his friends had just killed Medusa...

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'He has everything he needs,' Loki said from the front of the plane.

'Yeah,' Tony agreed.

Loki sighed and sat on the couch beside the mortal, stretching and feeling his back crack.

'You okay?' Tony asked.

'I will be,' Loki said.

'Fair enough. SHIELD really came through, huh?' Tony commented. Just the day before an agent dressed in black had delivered Harry's new passport so that Tony and Loki could finally take the kid to New York.

'Yes, they did,' Loki agreed. 'I shall have to thank them... do you think Fury would enjoy a boar?'

Tony snorted. 'Ah, no, Lokes; I don't think he would.'

'Pity,' Loki pouted, 'I would enjoy seeing Fury run from an Asgardian boar.'

Tony snickered at the thought of Fury being chased around the Helicarrier by a giant, furry pig. He only stopped when he felt Loki's soft, cool hands wrap around his own. 'Lo?' he questioned, looking up. Loki was staring at him, face serious, green eyes hard.

'I cannot thank you enough for this, Anthony,' he said.

'Don't mention it,' Tony shrugged.

'You've made this situation infinitely easier,' Loki said. 'I would have killed the Dursleys and Harry would have been terrified of me. Instead he smiles at me and talks to me... he's slowly settling in, he has accepted that I'm his father, he...' Loki was clearly at a loss for further words, because he just shook his head and leaned over to kiss Tony softly. 'Thank you, Anthony.'

'No worries,' Tony mumbled. 'But seriously, Loki, I couldn't have done anything else; I love you, and by extension I love your kid.'

Loki smiled. 'You are very good with him.'

Tony shrugged. 'Kids are pretty cool; they don't bullshit you. And Harry's a good kid.'

'Yes, he is,' Loki agreed. 'Despite his upbringing, he's... he's Lily.'

'Yeah?'

Loki nodded. 'He looks like me, but he is so clearly Lily's son. His temperament, his personality, his ability to forgive... he is his own person, but he takes after Lily more than me. Which is good.'

'Yeah,' Tony couldn't help but agree. He loved Loki, he really did, but he didn't think he was capable of taking care of a pre-pubescent Loki. He shivered at the very thought.

Loki smirked lightly, as though he could read Tony's thoughts. Tony just grinned at him and kissed Loki again.

'Hey,' Tony said after a few minutes, the word mumbled against Loki's mouth.

'Mm?' Loki hummed.

'I know a way you can thank me.'

'How?' Loki asked.

'When we get to America and get Harry settled, you could always tie me to the bed.' Loki opened his eyes slowly and Tony waggled his eyebrows, making the god snort.

'I'll do more than tie you to the bed, Anthony,' he practically purred.

Tony shivered. 'Sounds good.'

Loki smiled, gave him one last kiss, then stood and walked down the aisle towards the small kitchen at the end of the plane, which was just before the door that led to the bedroom. Tony sighed as he watched him go, eyes glued to Loki's ass. Tony hadn't been lying; he already loved Harry. But he hoped the kid would sleep through the night when they got to New York. Tony wasn't sure he'd gone this long without sex since he and Loki had first started sleeping together.

Tony groaned and Loki laughed.

'Get your mind out of the gutter, Stark!' he called.

'Shut up!' Tony snapped.

Loki just laughed again. Harry didn't even look up from his book.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Severus Snape didn't care much for the Muggle world. He didn't care much for the magical world, either. Truth be told, it was the people in both that annoyed him; they were dull, insufferable, and so caught up in their own lives that they cared little for those around them. Severus had learned at an early age to ignore those around him and focus on himself. Nobody else had ever cared.

Well... except Lucius Malfoy and Lily Evans, that is.

Severus scowled to himself as he entered the internet café . Lily was the reason he was here, and he really hoped that Lucius had nothing to do with it. He knew that if anyone could kidnap Harry Potter and make the boy disappear it was Lucius, but Severus also knew that Lucius had no intentions of ever bringing the Dark Lord back.

Severus knew just enough about the Muggle world to get by, as he usually spent the summers between the Hogwarts school years at his home in Spinner's End. So he easily paid for an hour of internet time and sat himself in a far corner at a computer. He logged in and spent a few minutes trying to remember what the search engine he needed was called, and when he did he typed in the name Dumbledore had given him; Tony Stark.

There were millions of hits, from a general Wikipedia page to _Stark Industries'_ website, as well as many, many news articles about the man in question. Severus was satisfied to see that he'd been right about Stark being involved in the technology industry; the man's company made mobile phones, computers, tablets, basically anything that relied on electricity to work.

But what surprised him was the fact that Stark had been involved with that alien business just over a year ago. Severus remembered reading about it in the papers and being shocked that the Norse Gods actually existed. There were many myths, both Muggle and magical, revolving around Loki, Thor, and the other Asgardians.

_ Iron Man _ , Severus mused as he read over the information offered on Stark's webpage. It didn't take long for Severus to get a general view of the man; arrogant, self-absorbed, used to getting everything he wanted. Stark was smart, of that there was no question, but the general consensus was that he was an arsehole and a playboy who used his charm and wealth to get people to do what he wanted.

Well... until he'd teamed up with Loki Laufeyson, the god who had invaded but been pardoned after serving his time on his home Realm.

Severus frowned as he looked over the many pictures of Stark and Loki together; the god was tall, good-looking, with poison-green eyes and slicked back black hair that fell to his shoulders. Apparently Loki was as charming as Stark, an extremely powerful “mage”, and was working with the Avengers to make up for his destruction of New York.

There was something about Loki that bothered Severus, even through the computer screen. He seemed... familiar, somehow, even though Severus knew that they had never met; how could they have when Loki claimed to have never visited “Midgard” before his invasion?

The longer Severus looked, the more confused he became. What would Stark and Loki want with Harry Potter? It seemed ridiculous to even  _think_ that Stark would go after the boy. He had a head office in London, but that wouldn't bring the billionaire into contact with Potter. And the only things Loki had in common with Potter were magic, hair colour, and eye colour.

But Dumbledore had heard somebody mention Tony Stark as well as another man. Severus knew that Dumbledore wouldn't lie about that; he wanted Potter under his thumb for whatever reason, on standby for when the Dark Lord eventually returned. He was their only hope of finally winning against the madman, was what Dumbledore always claimed. Snape didn't know what Dumbledore had planned for Potter, apart from the obvious; he wished that the old coot would tell the boy, it'd stop Potter and his friends from constantly putting themselves into danger. Snape didn't like Potter, or Gryffindors in general, but they were still children. It wasn't up to them to solve dangerous puzzles like that of the Philosopher's Stone.

But that didn't matter any more, Severus supposed; Potter was missing, and they had to find him before he got into even more trouble. Trouble followed Potter around like a bad smell.

Severus frowned and stood to go pay for another hour of internet time. He'd do some more research before going back to Dumbledore. The Headmaster would no doubt send him out on another errand after that. Because it wasn't like Severus had anything  _better_ to do with his time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** Seriously, the older I get, the more I realise that Harry's living conditions were truly fucked up. When I was a kid I really didn't read too much into it. But seriously, how could the Dursleys not have been abusing Harry? He slept in a fucking cupboard under the stairs!
> 
> Anywho, rant over. Cheers!
> 
> {Dreamer}


End file.
